Police activate 72-hour activation plan to track down EFF ward candidate’s killers

Police have mobilised a 72-hour activation plan to track down the suspects who shot and killed an Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) ward candidate in the Msunduzi municipality Thulani Shangase.

Shangase was killed in the KwaCaluza area outside Pietermaritzburg on Sunday. He was the EFF candidate in ward 20. He was returning from a campaigning meeting when he was killed.

National police spokesperson Vish Naidoo explains: “We have mobilised the 72-hour Activation Plan which entails the mobilisation of specialized units such as Crime Intelligence, the KZN Political Task Team, detectives and DPCI to ensure that evidence, intelligence, and information, which can help track and arrest those responsible, is gathered. We are appealing to anyone with information to please contact the SAPS on the SAPS CrimeStop number 086 00 10111.”

Meanwhile, the EFF’s secretary in the Mgungundlovu region David Msomi says the EFF will not be intimidated by the killing of their ward candidate.

“Because some people are not accepting that the EFF is here and that the EFF is going to lead the municipality and it is going to win other wards. So other people are not accepting that. They want to make sure that the EFF must be scared, but we are not scared, we going to the elections and we are going to win these elections.”

ANC calls on police to swiftly arrest those responsible for the murder

This comes after the murder of an African National Congress ward candidate, Siyabonga Mkhize in KwaZulu-Natal.

eThekwini ward 101 candidate Mkhize and another member were gunned down just after concluding a door-to-door campaign in the area last week.

Two others survived the attack. The ANC’s provincial spokesperson Nhlakanipho Ntombela says the party will continue conducting door-to-door campaigns especially in ward 101 – to ensure that the party wins the ward.