Johannesburg - Police Minister Nathi Nhleko has confirmed that a crack National Prosecuting Authority team has been set up to fast-track cases involving political killings ahead of the elections.
Nhleko told the media on Wednesday that several high-ranking prosecutors have been appointed to lead prosecutions in the almost 20 murders of local election candidates since early this year.
The minister said a task team from the police, which included crime intelligence and the Hawks, has managed to arrest seven people for some of the killings.
The ANC has lost 12 candidates in KwaZulu-Natal alone this year.
This excludes two IFP members who were killed in Estcourt last Friday and ANC candidate Nceba Dywili, who was gunned down in Nelson Mandela Bay on Tuesday evening.
Nhleko said four other people were killed in North West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape .
Nhleko said he believed the establishment of the NPA team would fast-track the cases.
The involvement of the crack NPA team would ensure the speedy resolution of the cases in court, he said.
Though the ANC has borne the brunt of the killings, the National Freedom Party and IFP have also lost some of their members, said Nhleko.
Elections Bureau