Mzimuni Ngiba, a former ANC ward councillor in eThekwini, South Africa, has denied any involvement in the murders of two ANC members in 2021. The killings occurred ahead of local government elections and are alleged to be linked to internal power struggles within the ANC.
A former ANC ward councillor in eThekwini, Mzimuni Ngiba, has distanced himself from the murders that took place in his ward in 2021 before the local government elections. Siyabonga Mkhize, an ANC ward candidate of Ward 101, and Mzukisi Nyanga, an ANC activist, were shot and killed in Cato Crest on October 15. Simphiwe Mlungisi Khanyile and Sicelo Notyesi were in the car with the victims at the time of the shooting and survived.
Ngiba, along with Nkosinathi Emmanuel Ngcobo, Sandile Mzizi, Sifiso Vincent Mlondo, and Phathisakhe Ngiba, are on trial for the murders. They also face charges of two counts of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, unlawful possession of firearms, and unlawful possession of ammunition. During the cross-examination, counsel for Ngiba and Ngcobo, advocate Andrew Matlamela, put it to the State witness that his clients did not know about the murders. He questioned Simphiwe Khanyile, the current ward councillor of Ward 101 and a witness to the shooting, suggesting that the murders were a result of internal factions within the ANC. Matlamela highlighted the existence of two ANC factions within the ward: Unity and Continuity (U&C) and Renewal Rebuilding Unity (RRU). Mkhize and Nyanga were members of the U&C faction, while all four accused, excluding Mzizi, belonged to the RRU faction. Mzizi was not an ANC member. Matlamela alleged that the duo was killed due to tensions within the U&C faction. Khanyile responded that he could not comment on this. Matlamela further questioned Khanyile about the number of individuals within the U&C faction who aspired to be councillors, including himself, and whether there was conflict within the faction. Khanyile confirmed that disagreements existed, with individuals believing they were suitable candidates due to their strong support base. Khanyile claimed that although his name was considered as a potential ward candidate, he declined the nomination because he had no interest in serving as a ward councillor. According to him, they ultimately chose Mkhize as their candidate within his camp. 'The decision that we took there was that Mkhize was going to be a candidate and the person in disagreement with that, was not going to be supported,' he said. Matlamela read a statement from a State witness yet to appear in court, alleging that Khanyile wanted to challenge Ngiba, the incumbent ward councillor for 12 years. The statement claimed Khanyile was hesitant to confront Ngiba because he was aware of Ngiba's nature and the potential consequences for those who opposed him. 'I deny that,' Khanyile answered. Attorney Sibusiso Dlamini, representing Mzizi, stated that his client would inform the court that he had no issues with Khanyile, Nyanga, and Mkhize. When asked to comment, Khanyile replied, 'There is nothing that I can comment on. This is his opinion.
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