Thamsanqa Ntuli Confirms 18 KZN Councillors Have Been Killed Since 2021 Local Government Elections

• KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli has weighed in on the death of councillor Cedric "Khekhe" Khwela
• The African National Congress member was gunned down at his Klaarwater offices on 6 August 2026
• Premier Ntuli urged political tolerance across KZN ahead of the November Local Government Elections

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.

KWAZULU-NATAL – Thamsanqa Ntuli has revealed that 18 elected councillors have been murdered across the province since the 2021 Local Government Elections.

The Premier of KwaZulu-Natal made the admission following the killing of eThekwini Municipality's Ward 17 councillor, Sibusiso "Khekhe" Khwela, on Thursday, 6 August 2026.

Khwela, an African National Congress representative, was shot dead by an unidentified man who posed as a community member who was seeking assistance. Police are still searching for the gunman.

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The eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality has also appealed to the community to assist with information regarding the murder.

A province-wide pattern of violence

Speaking about the murder, Ntuli described KwaZulu-Natal as the epicentre of councillor assassinations in South Africa.

According to data released by the Premier's office, eThekwini Municipality recorded the highest number of councillor killings at the municipal level, with five assassinations. The municipalities of uMngeni, Mkhambathini and Newcastle each recorded two deaths, while single killings were reported in uMsunduzi, uMzumbe, Endumeni, Abaqulusi, Nongoma, uMvoti and uMhlathuze.

"These killings demonstrate that political violence is not confined to one area of the province and continues to pose a serious threat to public representatives and the ability of municipalities to effectively serve their communities," he said.

Ntuli called on communities across KwaZulu-Natal to embrace political tolerance and peaceful coexistence, particularly as the province heads toward the Local Government Elections scheduled for November. He was unequivocal that electoral competition cannot be used to justify harm against public representatives.

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"Political differences must be settled through democratic processes, not violence," the Premier added.

Arrests made after councillors are killed

Briefly News reported that the Gauteng Political Killings Task Team made breakthroughs in two separate high-profile murder cases.

The task team was investigating the 2025 murder of the ANC's Thabang Masemola and the 2026 murder of the EFF's Aaron Makola.

South Africans weighed in on the developments and breakthroughs made, praising the police for their efforts in bringing the suspects to book.

Source: Briefly News