The National Freedom Party (NFP) wants some by-elections scrapped. This comes after the murder of an Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) councillor, Reginald Ndima, in the Amajuba District Municipality, which includes Newcastle.
The NFP proposes that when a councillor is murdered, no by-election is held, but that the party which the deceased belonged to nominates a replacement, who takes up the position with no poll.
The NFP said: ‘We call for the protection of councillors countrywide. The finance minister must set aside a budget for the protection of public representatives during this financial year. The minister in the presidency tasked with political responsibility of state security must take full responsibility for ensuring the safety of councillors. Killing of councillors should be treated as treasonous. Therefore, their safety should be prioritised as one councillor killed is a huge setback in terms of service delivery.’
KwaZulu-Natal has been the scene of political violence for many years, with the murder of municipal councillors being a fairly common occurrence.