Mbuso Mthimkhulu, a proportional representation councillor for the IFP, was shot dead during a community meeting in Bekkersdal, raising concerns about political violence ahead of the Local Government Elections.
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The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) is reeling in shock following the cold-blooded murder of its proportional representation (PR) councillor, Mbuso Mzwandile Mthimkhulu, who was gunned down in Bekkersdal, Westonaria on Thursday evening.
The 46-year-old councillor, who served in the Rand West City Local Municipality in Gauteng, was shot dead by an unknown assailant in the early evening of May 28, while attending a community meeting.
The assassination has sparked deep anxiety, coming on the eve of the highly anticipated Local Government Elections in November.
The IFP condemned the attack, describing it as a direct threat to South Africa's democratic foundations. "The killing of a public representative, particularly on the eve of the upcoming Local Government Elections, is both tragic and deeply concerning for our democracy," said IFP National Spokesperson, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, in a statement.
"No citizen, community leader, activist or public servant should ever lose their life in the course of serving the people."
The party has made an urgent appeal to the South African Police Service (SAPS) to deploy all available resources to hunt down the killers, specifically requesting the immediate implementation of the SAPS 72-hour mobilisation protocol.
"We call on the South African Police Service to act with urgency and decisiveness in bringing the perpetrators to book. Given the nature of this crime, we further call for the immediate activation of the SAPS 72-hour investigation protocol to ensure that all necessary resources are mobilised and deployed to apprehend those responsible," Hlengwa added.
Mthimkhulu was elected to the municipality in 2021. In addition to his regular council duties, he served as a member of the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC), where colleagues say he was fiercely committed to ethical financial management, accountability, and clean governance.
Recognising the volatile nature of political violence, the IFP leadership urged community members to remain calm and allow law enforcement space to conduct their investigations.
"At this difficult time, the IFP calls for calm, peace, and restraint within the community at large," Hlengwa said, while extending the party's deepest condolences to the Mthimkhulu family, his friends, and colleagues in the Rand West City Local Municipality.
Police are investigating a case of murder, and no arrests have been made at this stage.
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