The recent murders of two councillors in KwaZulu-Natal have once again thrust political killings to the fore. 

A report by provincial SA Local Government Association (Salga) chairperson Thami Ntuli says that 39 councillors in KwaZulu-Natal have died since September, with 17 of those being assassinations.

African Christian Democratic Party councillor John Myaka was gunned down while preaching in a church near Empangeni on Tuesday 27 June. 

A week later, on 3 July, Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) national spokesperson and MP, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, announced the killing of IFP councillor Innocent Mkhwanazi, who had served the Mtubatuba Local Municipality in northern KwaZulu-Natal.

Mkhwanazi's bodyguards were injured in the ambush.

The killings prompted Ntuli, who doubles as a councillor and IFP chairperson in the province, to release statistics that paint a grim picture of a trigger-happy political arena.

Of the 39 councillors who have died since September last year, 17 were assassinations, three car accidents, two suicides, and 17 natural causes.

"The KwaZulu-Natal South African Local Government Association is appalled and shocked by the recent wave of killings and assassinations targeting councillors in the province.

"These acts of violence not only rob us of dedicated public servants, but also threaten the very fabric of our democracy. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families and colleagues of the victims, and we stand in solidarity with all councillors who face this atmosphere of fear and insecurity," Ntuli said. 

His statement comes merely a week after the ANC-led tripartite alliance called for a cleansing ceremony due to the incessant bloodletting. 

The killings continue unabated, six years after the Moerane Commission, which probed political killings in the province, and submitted recommendations to the KwaZulu-Natal government.

"The welfare and safety of the most vulnerable public representatives is a national tragedy. This tragedy is far more pronounced in KwaZulu-Natal," Ntuli said.

He said that while Salga had previously been encouraged when Police Minister Bheki Cele established a special investigating team to deal with political assassinations in the province, they were now calling on the police to hand over dockets to this specialised unit without delay. 

Ntuli called on members of the public to come forward with any information that could assist with the investigations into these killings. 

"The escalating number of political killings targeting councillors, particularly in the northern parts of the KwaZulu-Natal province, has instilled fear and anxiety among our public representatives," he said. 

"The safety and security of councillors must be prioritised, and we expect that every effort will be to expedite all outstanding threat analyses where councillors have reported incidents of intimidation or threats."