DA want Executive Statement from KZN Premier as political killings intensify
17 July 2017
The Democratic Alliance will today call for an Executive Statement by KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Willies Mchunu, on the progress of the Moerane Commission of Inquiry, as politically motivated deaths in the province reach alarming levels.
The move comes amid claims during Commission hearings held yesterday that 89 killings can be traced back to hitmen operating from Glebelands hostel, that a police officer is supposedly the mastermind behind many of the attacks, even supplying arms to hitmen and – perhaps most chilling and sinister of all - that President Jacob Zuma may be linked to the violence.
The information comes just days after National ANC Spokesperson, Zizi Kodwa, tried to pass the buck on politically-motivated killings in the province, implying that they are not an ANC problem and that police and law enforcement agencies must act.
At best this is completely disingenuous. At worst, it is an indication that the ANC does not care about the lives of the people of this province.
The comments come in the face of a conflicting statement by ANCYL secretary, Thanduxolo Sabelo, which implies that attacks on ANC members in uMzimkhulu are linked to internal factions within the party.
The DA is deeply troubled by the sharp rise in politically-motivated deaths in our province. The effects of such violence are far-reaching and will destroy KwaZulu-Natal’s potential. Investors will not invest in a province wracked by political violence. This ultimately impacts on the desperate need to create a stable environment to create much needed jobs.
It is the ANC’s obligation to ensure that KZN does not return to the violence of the nineties. This can only be done by dealing with the ongoing dissent within its own ranks.
The DA expects Premier Mchunu to deliver an Executive Statement on the progress of the Commission at the next Sitting of the KZN Legislature scheduled for 27 July. He and the ANC can no longer stand on the sidelines in denial while public representatives are being slaughtered.
It is six years since this Commission was first launched. Numerous lives have been lost during this time, with 33 political murders taking place in KZN since January 2016 alone. The DA is committed to holding the ANC to account and will demand results on behalf of the people of KwaZulu-Natal who deserve to live in a province free from violence and fear.
Issued by Francois Rodgers, Leader of the DA in the KZN Legislature, 18 July 2017
