VAAL, GAUTENG — Municipal corruption and political violence in South Africa have reached a critical boiling point, prompting DA Gauteng MPL and Emfuleni mayoral candidate Kingsol Chabalala to publicly condemn the South African Local Government Association (SALGA). Chabalala alleges that the local government watchdog has failed to protect whistleblowers and curb the systemic malfeasance that continues to fuel local bloodshed.
A Targeted Attack to Silence Whistleblowers
Chabalala is a survivor of an alleged politically motivated assassination attempt that took place outside his home in Vanderbijlpark in the Vaal Region in 2017. At the time, he was serving as a DA member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature. He was shot in front of his gate while his then-five-year-old daughter watched. Notably, the perpetrator left R10,000 in his wallet untouched, taking only his mobile phone.
Chabalala asserts the attack was not a random robbery, but a targeted effort to silence him. He claims he had recently exposed widespread corruption and a severe lack of service delivery in the Emfuleni municipality. Specifically, he highlighted over R1 million spent on KFC and payments made to a hotel named Shakespeare for municipal offices that, upon inspection, did not exist.
Law Enforcement Failures and Closed Dockets
Despite Chabalala providing cell phone numbers to investigators and requesting they use Section 25 to access the records, he claims the police failed to act on the leads. The Gauteng SAPS has confirmed that no arrests have been made in the case, and the docket was officially closed as undetected on November 2, 2022.
Clashing Views on SALGA’s Mandate
Chabalala believes the bloodshed linked to municipal corruption could have been avoided if SALGA had been firmer in executing its constitutional mandate to promote, protect, and transform local government. He accuses the organization of treating wrongdoing in certain municipalities with “kid gloves” and demands they enforce strict consequences for corruption, rooted in ethical leadership and effective service delivery.
In response, a SALGA spokesperson dismissed Chabalala’s remarks as misplaced. The spokesperson clarified that SALGA does not possess legislative authority over municipalities, which is why the organization continually refers such incidents to law enforcement agencies. Furthermore, the spokesperson emphasized that SALGA has consistently used various platforms to condemn political violence and advocate for accountability.
A National Crisis of Political Violence
The clash highlights a broader, escalating crisis of municipal violence. According to a municipal watchdog, over 460 cases of municipal violence have been reported since 2000. These incidents range in severity from property damage—such as councilors’ homes being torched—to intimidation, physical assault, and fatalities.
Research data indicates that more than 200 confirmed political killings have occurred over the last 15 years. The African National Congress (ANC) ranks first with 121 killings, followed by the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) with 23, the National Freedom Party (NFP) with 22, and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) with 12.
Tracking data for the six months leading up to elections shows that 2026 has recorded the highest number of political killings to date, with 24 confirmed in this current election period alone. In response to the escalating crisis, the government established a specialized political killings unit to address the severe threat.
While the general sentiment attributes these political killings to the financial value and power attached to municipal positions, Chabalala maintains that a significant driving factor is the deliberate silencing of those who expose wrongdoing.
