Cabinet Condemns Killing of 5 Councillors Ahead of Local Government Elections

• Cabinet strongly condemned a surge in political violence targeting local councillors as South Africa approaches local government elections
• Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni confirmed law enforcement has arrested suspects linked to the killings and issued a national call for political tolerance
• The Cabinet briefing also addressed Eskom's milestone of 467 days without load shedding and a glacier disaster in Nepal affecting 6 South Africans

PRETORIA — Cabinet has condemned a wave of targeted killings that has left at least five local councillors dead across South Africa, as the country moves closer to its upcoming local government elections.

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni delivered the statement to media in Pretoria following a Cabinet briefing, confirming that inter-governmental structures are actively coordinating with the Electoral Commission of South Africa to safeguard the integrity of the vote. She warned that violence and intimidation have no place in the country's democratic processes, and urged all political parties and their supporters to reject both.

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Suspects arrested as violence escalates

Cabinet acknowledged law enforcement agencies for moving swiftly to apprehend suspects connected to the councillor killings, though the briefing offered no further detail on the status of those prosecutions. Ntshavheni issued an urgent call for political tolerance, directing the appeal at all political formations as campaigning across the country gathers pace. Governments at national, provincial, and local levels were called upon to protect democratic stability in the lead-up to polling day.

Eskom milestone and Nepal disaster on Cabinet agenda

The briefing covered two further developments beyond the election security concerns. On the energy front, Cabinet praised Eskom for recording 467 consecutive days without load shedding, with unplanned outages falling by 40% — a performance level the utility has not reached since 2020. Citizens were encouraged to submit public comment on the draft revised Electricity Pricing Policy, which the government says is designed to reduce energy costs while protecting low-income households from tariff increases.

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Cabinet also confirmed it is closely tracking a humanitarian emergency in Nepal, where a glacier collapse along the Nepal-Tibet border has left approximately 1,400 people missing. Six South African nationals are among those unaccounted for. South African diplomatic missions operating in neighbouring regions have been tasked with working alongside local authorities to locate and provide assistance to affected citizens.

View a tweet on the briefing here:

Politician hits on the rise

In a related article, Briefly News reported on the alarming rise in political killings in South Africa, where a senior researcher has reported 26 deaths due to suspected political assassinations across five provinces since January 2026. As the country approaches its local government elections, experts warn that the escalating violence may threaten the very foundations of its democracy.

Source: Briefly News