Bheki Stofile, president of the South African Local Government Association (Salga), says the rise in the killing of councillors is moving South Africa towards a Mafia state.
He also raised concerns that the killing of councillors has now spread to the once-peaceful Western Cape province, when in the past it was largely in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, and pockets of the Eastern Cape.
Stofile made these comments on Thursday on the sidelines of the ongoing Salga NEC engagements with KZN municipalities, which are taking place in Durban.
Among the issues on top of the agenda at the engagement are the killing of councillors, shrinking municipal funds, and service delivery challenges.
The engagement will end on Friday with resolutions on how to salvage the collapsing sphere of government.
“What does this then mean? It hits at the nerve of the inability of us, collectively as the State, to provide security to all the people. That’s what it means …
“The way and the speed we are obtaining with it as South Africa, we are gravitating towards a Mafia state,” Stofile said.
On top of that, Stofile says the killing of councillors and workers in the local government sector is instilling fear in those who want to join it, thus robbing them of critical skills.
“This is having an impact on the future generation's fear to work for the State,” he added.
In 2023 alone, KZN has lost over 10 councillors. The Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, recently identified Zululand and eThekwini as the epicentre of the scourge in the province.
Cele also said it appears to them that political killings became more prevalent after the 2021 local government elections, where several municipalities were hung, thus requiring parties to negotiate coalitions.
The three political parties most affected by the killings are the African National Congress (ANC), the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), and the National Freedom Party (NFP).
The chairperson of Salga in KZN, Thami Ntuli, who is also the mayor of King Cetshwayo district, said they have asked municipalities to prioritise security whenever there is a threat to a councillor.
“We said security should be provided even if the issue of threat analysis is yet to be concluded by the SAPS,” Ntuli said.
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