A Build One South Africa (BOSA) candidate was shot dead, and another was injured in Gugulethu during the voter registration weekend. Three other political candidates in Cape Town were killed on Saturday evening. The violence has raised concerns over the election period later this year.
Leon Ngcikwe was one of the political candidates gunned down on Saturday evening as the first voter registration day came to an end. He was a ward candidate for Build One SA in Gugulethu. His mother, Joyce Ngcikwe, says they are still trying to cope with their loss.
“He was very hands on here in the family and even there in the community because it was not only BOSA, also in the neighbourhood watch. e He was involved in everything and he also loved his family, his wife, the kids and the whole family actually.”
A 21-year-old passenger was also injured and is currently in hospital. BOSA Deputy President, Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster, says Ngcikwe was very involved in his community.
“ Leon was part of the neighbourhood watch. He was someone that served his community and was dedicated to it. So, we really feel the loss as Build One South Africa but then again this is a loss for the community. It’s a really brutal loss of the kind of people that we need more, the kind of people who look into the community and say you know nobody is coming to save us but us.”
Ngcikwe’s death comes during a weekend when other political figures were also killed in separate incidents in the province. In Dunoon, Sinovuyo Dyokwe was gunned down on Saturday evening.
Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia has raised concern over the alleged political killings.
“In the run-up to the elections, the risk of more killings, and this is something that the police should be paying specific attention to.”
The Western Cape Violent Crimes Unit has been tasked with investigating these incidents. But with multiple political figures killed over the weekend, attention is now turning to whether this signals a deeper escalation of political violence ahead of the elections.
VIDEO | Discussion on escalation of violence during the election period:
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