The Inkatha Freedom Party welcomes the appointment of the new KZN Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Khombinkosi Jula. We hope that he would be able to deal with sensitive issues pertaining to crime since he is familiar with the province. But most importantly, we hope that he brings with him determination, fortitude, and will that is much-needed to avert political killings in this province, impartially and objectively.
The IFP has expressed its deep concerns for more than twenty years, with the lack of political and legal will to deal and prevent political motivated violence in KZN. The slow pace of the government and the law enforcement interventions in curbing political violence has been deeply troublesome for the province of KwaZulu-Natal. With local government elections not far away, we hope that he is the man to decisively put an end to this scourge.
The IFP is optimistic that the new commissioner will also work harder in proving that the alleged observation that the law enforcement and security institutions, have been captured and manipulated by politicians for political agendas are not true. The government’s inaction strongly reflects the ruling party’s inability and unwillingness to stop the internal warfare because it could expose the extent of corruption and criminality within its ranks and this has made the killing of politicians a permanent feature of the political landscape in both KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa as a whole. In most cases, its politicians who are killing one another, hiring professional hit-men (known as ‘izinkabi’) to eliminate fellow party members in an all-or-nothing fight and greed over money and power. This cruelty has to come to an end and it can only do so, through firm political and legal will from the government.
PARTIALITY TOWARDS IFP POLITICAL KILLINGS
The IFP, also calling upon the new Provincial Police Commissioner to put a stop on favouritism displayed by the law-enforcement towards solving ANC political assassinations against those of other political parties including the IFP. Law enforcement units have extremely poor record of investigation into murders of IFP leaders and members, and the very low conviction rate.
Evidently, even during the ANC’s People’s War, more than 400 IFP office bearers excluding members were assassinated. To date, there has been hardly a single conviction. The list with names of these fallen office bearers was submitted to the former KZN Police Commissioner Mmamonnye Ngobeni but the IFP has not received any response.
Whether this speaks to a lack of political will or favouritism, the fact remains that only ANC cases have been prioritized in KZN. The IFP believes that many murders and attempted murders would never have taken place if they were prevented timeously, except for the perpetrators that are politically protected from going to dungeon.
The IFP has pleaded for stern-action against political murderers for more than two decades. A plea was submitted to the then President de Klerk, to President Mandela to President Mbeki and subsequently to President Zuma.
AMAKHOSI
Also, a number of Amakhosi have been killed over the past few years. No state apparatus was put in place to investigate the killings of Inkosi Lushaba of Port Shepstone, Inkosi V Gwala of Donnybrook, Inkosi Linda Mathonsi of Mandeni, Inkosi Zondi of uMvoti, Inkosi Nkosibeyiphika Johannes Mdluli from uMkhanyakude, Inkosi Magongo Bhekinkosi Gwala of Emaphephetheni in Ndwedwe who was brutally slaughtered like an animal by the alleged ANC youth in his Traditional Court House in 1990.
To this day there has been no response from government and law-enforcement units. The task team investigating political killings, is made up of 126 members of the SAPS and 16 prosecutors but the work it has done has been inadequate thus far. Similarly, with the Moerane Commission, established by the former KwaZulu-Natal Premier, the recommendations were toothless, as they failed to hold anybody directly responsible for the killings.
To us, as the IFP we feel that the Moerane Commission of Enquiry recommendations were neutralised by the provincial government to not get to the bottom of the crisis and therefore prevented it to come up with amicable solutions to deal with this violence that threatens the political and economic stability of this province.
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Contact:
Mr Blessed Gwala, MPL
IFP-KwaZulu-Natal Spokesperson in Community Safety & Liaison
078 290 5842