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The DA in uMzinyathi District welcomes the suspension of Msinga Local Municipality Mayor, Councillor Mletheni Ndlovu and two IFP Councillors, Cllr. Thokozani Sokhela and Cllr. Mhawukeleni Sokhela following their arrest over firearm charges.

We have learnt that the Mayor allegedly gave firearms to his bodyguard’s that do not have competency certificates and had failed to keep his firearm in a safe.

Ndlovu is the same Mayor that was named by another IFP Councillor, Cllr. Lungisani Ntuli in a viral social media video, as one of his attackers during an assassination attempt on him and the late Councillor Siyanda Magubane.

Councillor Magubane allegedly had a fallout with the Mayor and he unfortunately did not survive the attack.

Based on these allegations we are calling for a further investigation on the Mayor regarding the attack on these two councillors.

We welcome this swift action by the IFP National Executive Committee. It is a step in the right direction following the string of political killings in the province implicating IFP councillors.

Through the DA’s engagements with communities, we have heard how residents are also living under siege and cannot even raise service delivery issues with councillors out of fear for their lives.

This cannot be the order of the day, leaders should serve communities and criminals should be jailed.

Issued by Maliyakhe Shelembe, MP - DA uMzinyathi Constituency Head