NFP cries out over murders

THE National Freedom Party has expressed concern after yet another leader was gunned down at KwaMashu Hostel, north of Durban, on Wednesday night.

This has prompted a meeting, scheduled for today between the party leadership and police in the province.

The murder of Michael Mtshali, who was the treasurer of Ward 39, has brought the number of NFP leaders killed in separate incidents in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng to four over the past week.

Two of them - Thinabakho Mthembu and Gundu Makhanya - were killed on Sunday, while another leader had been gunned down in a Johannesburg hostel.

Party spokesperson Zanele Cele said: "The murders have deprived the NFP of its hard-working leaders at a time when they are needed most.

"We are currently busy inaugurating our branches in preparation for our conference and this is a huge setback for the party. We call on the police to thoroughly investigate these murders and bring the perpetrators to book."

Cele claimed the killings were politically motivated.

"The fact that during the attacks nothing was taken proves that the motive was solely to kill them," she said.

"It's worrying because if the murders are not curbed, they might take our province back to its history of political violence."

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Brigadier Phindile Radebe said a murder case had been opened and police were investigating.

"At this stage, the motive is unknown. We are aware that NFP members have been attacked recently but we treat the incidents as separate until our investigations prove otherwise," Radebe said.