"Some of these guys literally come out of severe poverty and if they get kicked out they will be back there," said deputy chief executive of the SA Institute of Race Relations, Frans Cronje. "The stakes are high . it's about money."

The number of politicians murdered in the past five years has escalated, especially between 2010 and this year.

Officials from various political parties have been gunned down around the country. KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga seem to be the worst affected - with 41 and five killed respectively.

Cronje said the issue had been swept under the carpet for far too long and was something that would become very controversial in the next five years.

ANC KwaZulu-Natal secretary Sihle Zikalala said the party had had quite a few officials killed in the past two years, but it was difficult to pinpoint motives.

IFP MP Albert Mncwango said political tension in KwaZulu-Natal was because of the IFP breakaway group - the National Freedom Party.

The NFP has said that 22 of its members have been murdered since its launch. Many of these murders have been blamed on the IFP. - Sapa

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Thu Jun 20 06:18:38 SAST 2013 ::

Jul 30, 2012

maneater

oh please do not call it Political hits. its got nothing to do with political ideaologies but just purely greed and theft.I call it murder!!!!
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Jul 30, 2012

swona

some is greed, still think people behind most political murders in Mpumalanga was about greed, few of the alleged killers were poor!
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Jul 30, 2012

Sinudeity_

Yeah, we knew this. Corrupt politicians killing other politicians. Some of the rich dudes now wouldnt make it in the real world if they were not politicians. They would go back to being beggars.
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