Two members of the National Freedom Party (NFP) were assassinated and another was critically wounded when gunmen opened fire on their car in Msinga, south of Dundee, in KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday night.
Bongani Shelembe, 64, chairman of the Msinga branch of the NFP, and Lungisile Zuma, 22, secretary of the youth wing, were killed in a hail of bullets just after 5pm.
“The vehicle was ambushed while en route to Keate’s Drift,” said police spokesman Colonel Jay Naicker.
A third person, Nontethelelo Mbatha, Shelembe’s secretary, was taken to a Pietermaritzburg hospital where she was in a critical condition.
The motive for the killing was unclear but police were investigating.
Shelembe is a businessman in the Keate’s Drift area and lived in Msinga.
He was apparently on his way to check on his shops when he was ambushed.
A police source said the suspects opened fire on Shelembe’s Mercedes Benz as he travelled on the town’s main road.
When the car stopped, the suspects allegedly shot all three passengers with R-5 rifles.
Shelembe and Zuma were hit in the head and chest and Mbatha in the leg.
The source said a policeman, travelling in his private vehicle, witnessed the shooting, and was expected to give a statement on Wednesday.
It was unclear if the killings were politically motivated, the source said.
The NFP said the trio were returning from a party meeting in Msinga when they were attacked.
“We are deeply saddened by the events and would like to send our sincere condolences to the families of the deceased,” Zanele Magwaza-Msibi, president of the NFP, said on Wednesday.
“We do not expect such things to be happening in a democracy. People have a right to belong to whatever party they choose. There is no reason to kill anybody,” she said.
Magwaza-Msibi said Shelembe was hugely popular in the Msinga district and had played an important role in growing the party in that region.
“He was a very hard worker who went out of his way to help people. I was shocked when I was told about his death and feel very sad that he had to die this way,” she said.
Magwaza-Msibi said she did not want to speculate about the motive for the killing but urged police to bring the culprits to book.
“Nothing is going to stop the party from growing. We will continue to grow as we have passionate and hard working people on the ground,” she said.
Maliyakhe Shelembe, national chairperson of the NFP, called for calm urging supporters not to seek revenge but assist the police.
“Let the police do their job.
“Anybody with information should go to the police,” he said. - Daily News
