Durban - Former health minister Zweli Mkhize has expressed sadness about the recent spate of political killings in the province and urged the police to nab those responsible, so that they could be prosecuted.
Mkhize was in his home village of Willowfontein, outside Pietermaritzburg. He cast his vote at the Thandolwethu Creche voting district.
Later, he visited other voting stations in the area where he was warmly received by community members who affectionately referred to him by his clan name. “Khabazela”.
He said it was sad that there were still politically motivated killings, because they had worked hard to ensure that there would no longer be the spilling of blood because of political differences.
Mkhize said that it was unacceptable that people would be killed for their political views, adding that this was not part of the ANC’s culture.
Video: Samkelo Mtshali/IOL Politics
“We are sad that this is still happening today because people should know that political violence should be a thing of the past and, today, you can’t even see the parties that are fighting because we don’t know who is responsible for this.
“We hope the families will be comforted, we feel their pain because this is an unacceptable thing,, because it’s a right of the community to nominate a candidate that it wants but nobody has a right to take another person’s life, therefore we feel a lot of pain.
“We hope that the police will ensure that the perpetrators are arrested accordingly, so that they can be prosecuted. The community must always have hope that the Constitution is safeguarding us all, no matter which party we back.”
Mkhize said he was hopeful that the ANC would fare well at the polls, despite the limited time to campaign, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Political Bureau