Three held for ANC councillor’s murder

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Published Jun 2, 2015

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KwaZulu-Natal - Three suspects charged with the murder of KwaZulu-Natal councillor, local speaker and educator Vusi Ntombela, and that of a pupil, were arrested and in police custody an hour after the incident had occurred, provincial police reported on Tuesday.

“This morning at about 09:50, a 47-year-old educator [and councilor] was fatally shot by unknown men inside his classroom at Luvisi area in Nquthu. Within the hour three suspects were arrested and a firearm believed to be the murder weapon was recovered,” said KZN police spokesperson Colonel Jay Naicker.

On Tuesday morning the three suspects entered Ntombela’s classroom and allegedly shot and killed him. Ntombela, an African National Congress member who simultaneously held the positions of educator at Luvisi Primary School, councillor, and speaker at Nquthu local municipality in northern KZN, sustained five fatal gunshot wounds.

Two pupils were also injured in the shooting and taken to hospital with one of the pupils declared dead on arrival.

“The motive for the killing is unknown at this stage,” said Naicker.

“Nquthu police have registered cases of murder as well as attempted murder and immediately began with their investigation,” he said.

KZN MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Nomusa Dube-Ncube condemned the killing: “The death of a councillor who is an elected servant of the people leaves a gaping void in the sphere of local government and has robbed us of one more foot soldier in our fight against poverty, inequality and unemployment.”

Ntombela’s murder was the third reported attack on an ANC councillor across the country in the last two weeks. In late May, a Mpumalanga ANC councillor sustained critical wounds after being shot and on May 28, the home of an ANC councillor in Cape Town was burnt down.

“We do not know the cause and the motive, said Dube-Ncube of the latest attack on an ANC councillor, “We are, however, worried that the killing of councillors is becoming a disturbing trend, noting that it is not happening for the first time.”

Dube-Ncube urged police to ensure the suspects, who were in custody and due to appear in court soon, were brought to justice.

ANA

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