Mkhondo in Mpumalanga is in the grip of a deadly political power struggle, with insiders saying the murders of two ANC councillors in less than three months is due to a battle for control of the municipality’s purse strings.
The most recent murder occurred four days before councillors were due to vote on a motion of no confidence against the mayor, Mthokozisi Simelani, this week.
Things are very bad here. There are no jobs, We have fights at the top but on the ground we have only potholes
— Unemployed resident Vusi
ANC councillor Sibonelo Mthembu Ntshangase was shot dead last Friday, along with his friend and fellow ANC-member Sizwe Mbingo and a Swazi mechanic, Sandile Khumalo, in Longhomes township outside Mkhondo.
While the municipality has denied any link between the murders and the vote, politicians and community members — who did not want to be named, saying they feared for their lives — insist there is a battle for power between two ANC factions.
“We are not talking politics any more. This is all about money and sucking our community dry,” said one community leader.
And a Mkhondo councillor told the Sunday Times: “You can see our colleagues are being killed if they speak out. Mkhondo is a dangerous place to be a councillor.”
On November 4, “Ramaphosa faction man” and ward councillor Muzi Manyathi, 41, was shot dead at a local service station at 6.30pm. His assassins escaped in a Mercedes with cloned number plates. The car was later found abandoned. No arrests have been made.
That night, Ntshangase posted a video on social media saying among other things that if he should ever be murdered, “people must know Sigemegeme is the killer”. Sigemegeme is the nickname of former mayor Vusi Motha.
Motha was this week arrested for the possession of four unlicensed firearms, including a 9mm pistol, a DM4 rifle and a pump gun. He is in police custody, but told City Press before his arrest that his lawyers had been busy with a R500,000 civil claim against Ntshangase when he was killed.
“I had given my lawyers an instruction to deal with the defamation. They had told me that their first step would be to force [Ntshangase] to remove the video and settle the matter out of court,” he told the newspaper.
“I have children and a business and it would be a stupid move for me to kill someone who recorded himself [implicating] me,” he said.
Police spokesperson Brig Selvy Mohlala said the four unlicensed firearms “were taken for ballistic testing. The investigation continues”.
On Wednesday, Mohlala said a person had been arrested in connection with the murder and would appear in court on Thursday. “The suspect, who hails from Umbumbulu in KwaZulu-Natal, was taken in for questioning and charged with murder,” he said.
However, provincial National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said on Thursday that “the matter was not enrolled due to insufficient evidence”.
A local councillor said “the troubles” started when Motha was expelled from the ANC in 2021 after helping to topple the party from power by voting for Simelani, an independent mayoral candidate.
“The local farming and business community also supported Simelani, thinking he could be the new broom that cleans up Mkhondo. They were mistaken.”
A local leader of the black community agrees. “Muzi Manyathi was earmarked to become the next mayor. He was fighting corruption. Muzi was shot in cold blood on a Friday evening late last year,” the traditional leader said.
A Mkhondo councillor alleged that during Motha’s term as mayor corrupt money was “flowing”.
“We are for instance talking about boreholes that cost R600,000 each, where it should not have been more than R100,000 each,” the councillor said.
He said anger about “free-for-all corruption” that spilled over into Simelani’s term led to the planned vote of no confidence that would have taken place this Tuesday.
“There are 38 seats. To kick Simelani out, the ANC would have to have 20 of those votes. The Ramaphosa faction — known as the focus group — had 18 council members, and two non-ANC members also agreed to vote with them. After Ntshangase was killed, the motion was postponed until a new councillor can be appointed.”
Simelani came under attack after spending R700,000 on holding a strategy session in Durban in July.
He this week referred the Sunday Times to his lawyer, Onalenna Thaga.
“These [claims of corruption] are mere allegations," Thaga said. "My client has not been arrested or charged with anything. No legal action has been taken but should that happen I have advised my client to co-operate."
During the Sunday Times’s visit this week to Mkhondo, an agricultural hub known for forestry and cattle, several residents complained about a lack of service delivery and corruption.
Things are very bad here. There are no jobs, We have fights at the top but on the ground we have only potholes
— Unemployed resident Vusi, 58
Roads are badly potholed, and on top of load-shedding residents must endure rotational electricity cuts implemented to curb the spending of a non-paying community.
“It is a nightmare. Our municipality owes Eskom more than R400m, but the residents owe the municipality more than R700m,” one councillor said.
Community members, who spoke to the Sunday Times on condition of anonymity, were angry.
“Things are very bad here. There are no jobs. We have fights at the top but on the ground we have only potholes,” said Vusi, 58, who is unemployed.
Mzwake, 37, is also unemployed. “We walk around scared in the streets, especially after 7pm. Last Friday they killed a mechanic. What if you are with the wrong person at the wrong time? On Friday we saw that not even our leaders are safe. Does this mean normal citizens are next in this war?”
A municipal worker said all his colleagues are scared.
“We live in a democratic country yet we find ourselves in a situation where you can't express your views. If you do, you might be killed tomorrow. Everybody in Mkhondo knows you don't oppose Vusi Motha.”
Ntshangase's younger sister, Lindokuhle Mthembu, 27, said he had been the breadwinner for his family. “He was a 100% ANC man and cared for our community. His death has shattered us as a family.”
She said he is survived by a daughter aged three and a 13-year-old son.
“My brother died because he was fighting for the cause.”
At a memorial held on Thursday, relatives of the two men who were killed along with Ntshangase spoke about their loss.
Khumalo's sister, Cindy Khumalo, said: “My brother was a special man. He loved cars from a very young age. My brother was murdered for going to work.”
Nondumiso Mbingo, Sizwe Mbingo’s niece, said: “This is a cruel and unforgivable act. My uncle was passionate about the ANC and the community.”
She said he never went a day without wearing his ANC regalia. “My uncle was fighting for change and that is why he was targeted,” she added.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.