Political killings in the post-apartheid South Africa: A political and criminological perspective in Kwazulu-Natal Province, 1994-2019

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to explore and discuss political killings in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, from political and criminological point of views. Political killings in KZN and other parts of the country have occured since the beginning of the democratic dispensation in South Africa notwithstanding the history of political violence prior 1994 in KZN. The authors enter the debate on political killings by asking the following questions: (1) What are the criminological theories explaining political killings in KZN? and (2) Do political killings pose a threat to national security? The current political disputes within three main political parties, that is, the African National Congress’s (ANC), Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), and National Freedom Party (NFP) in KZN precipitate political killings. Importantly, this article seeks to highlight the nexus between the political killings and criminal activity in KZN. The recent political history of South Africa is inherently intertwined with social disorganization and community fragmentation. Segregationist policies in the apartheid-era, most notably the migrant labour system and Group Areas Act resulted in predominantly Black communities being marginalized both socially and economically as the apartheid government sought to maintain class exploitation and to prevent unified resistance. This paper draws from the conflict theory to best explain the problem under exploration. Therefore, using qualitative, secondary data this paper explores political killings in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa from political and criminological perspectives. We argue that the central issue around political killings is access to political power and factional internal politics within the ruling party. Moreover, those who are politically connected within the ruling party are more likely to loot and accumulate state resources through corruption and the tender system. While competition over scarce resource emerges, criminal activities arise, resulting in the killing of councillors and local politicians.

Keywords: ANC, Criminology, KwaZulu-Natal, Political Killings, and Political Power