MK Party Organiser Shot Dead at Home on Eve of South Africa Local Elections

The update

Lastborn Shazi, a regional organiser for the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), was shot dead at his home in Umzumbe, KwaZulu-Natal, on Monday night, police and the party said. Police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda said a murder investigation had been opened and the motive was still being established. The MKP said Shazi was on a Zoom call coordinating its campaign when he was killed, and called for the Political Killings Task Team to investigate. Police have recorded 20 murders involving political representatives, party members and supporters during the election period.

Why it matters

South Africans vote on Wednesday in local elections deciding control of the country’s cities and testing the governing ANC, which lost its national majority in 2024. Last week President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered more than 500 soldiers to KwaZulu-Natal to support police, who have flagged more than 165 polling stations there as high-risk. Polls project the MKP, led by former president Jacob Zuma, to become the largest party in eThekwini, the province’s economic hub.

What to watch

Police have not said whether the killing was politically motivated, and the MKP has urged supporters to remain calm. Security at high-risk polling stations on Wednesday, and whether the MKP displaces the ANC in eThekwini, will be the first tests of the fallout.

Sources

• aljazeera.com — police account of the shooting, the Zoom call, the troop deployment and election context
• thenational.co.za — MK Party statement on the killing and the national tally of 20 election-period murders

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