MK Party leader shot dead in KwaZulu-Natal as 21 election dockets open and campaigning shuts at midnight

An MK Party regional leader in KwaZulu-Natal has been killed, the South African Police Service said on Tuesday, in the middle of the two days of special voting that opened the 2026 local government elections.

The killing is the most serious of 21 case dockets police say they have registered since Monday. Those dockets cover murder, arson, intimidation, the theft of banners and tents, the removal and defacing of posters and other theft of election material. Six suspects have been arrested and five of the cases have already gone to court.

Police said they are confident the investigating team will pursue available leads, and that the Political Killings Task Team is supporting the investigation.

NATJOINTS, the structure that coordinates the country’s security services, said its operations with provincial joint operations centres remain activated, with monitoring across all provinces, districts and municipalities. It said its structures are positioned to respond to anything that threatens the integrity of the electoral process or the safety of voters, IEC officials, party representatives and the public.

The security plan comes with a hard deadline for the campaign. Campaigning ends at midnight on Tuesday 3 November, in line with the electoral timetable. From Wednesday no campaigning is permitted, and police said there must be no political persuasion, solicitation or intimidation of voters at or around voting stations.

Protests are barred on Election Day. Police said anyone found contravening Section 76 of the Municipal Electoral Act 27 of 2000, or any other applicable law, will be dealt with. They framed the deployment as protection rather than restriction, saying the intention is not to stop people exercising their constitutional rights but to create an environment where every South African can reach a voting station and cast a vote without fear, intimidation or disruption.

Police called on political parties, their leadership, members and supporters to exercise tolerance and restraint, and warned anyone contemplating violence, assassination or other criminal activity during the electoral period that officers remain vigilant and will act decisively.

The briefings set out the security envelope for the remaining days of the election. The murder investigation in KwaZulu-Natal, and the 21 dockets behind it, are the record of what that envelope has had to absorb so far.