Violence at the Durban notorious Glebelands hostel started after a significant group of ANC members defected to the newly established COPE.
This according to police testifying at the Moerane Commission of inquiry sitting in Durban that is probing political killings in KwaZulu-Natal.
Previous witnesses to the commission criticised police for their alleged involvement in political killings especially at Glebelands hostel.
The police were also blamed for failure to apprehend the killers of many political leaders in the province.
Finally on Tuesday they took the stand to testifying how the formation of COPE caused division within the ANC in the hostel.
Later the two factions jostled for the control of hostel beds.
Major General Dumezweni Chiliza says: “The situation however changed when there was a second group which was an opposition to the Mthembu group which came upon May 2014, that group is a group that I will refer to as the Hlophe group or Madala group steers meaning the old man steers at the hostel .”
Chiliza testified that lawlessness and intimidation also complicated the situation.
Over a hundred people have been killed at the hostel since 2014.
He did not dispute police complicity in the violence as one officer is among the eight suspects arrested and charged for the Glebelands violence.
The police also revealed that some of those killed were not Glebelands residents. The commission continues on Wednesday.
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