ANC in KwaZulu-Natal wants Jacob Zuma to lead violence cleansing ceremony

In a move intended to end the political curse brought on by political violence in the early 1990s, the African National Congress (ANC) in KwaZulu-Natal is seeking former president Jacob Zuma to lead a group of provincial party officials in organising the cleansing ritual in the province.

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It’s believed that about 20 000 people lost their lives in political violence that divided ANC and Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) supporters.

According to Zulu cultural beliefs, any bloodshed should be followed by a cleansing ceremony to prevent the tragedy from happening again.

The number of political assassination cases has been on the rise since the end of the 1990s political unrest, with KZN registering the highest number of murder cases nationwide in the crime figures for 2022/23.

Cultural experts view

According to the cultural experts, the rising cases of political assassination and murder are due to the fact that cleansing rituals weren’t conducted after the mass political killings of the 1990s.

Mafika Mndebele, the ANC provincial spokesperson, affirmed to the Witness Publication that the party wants Jacob Zuma to lead the province’s cleansing ceremony, which will take place at a date yet to be determined.

“The ANC recognises the fact that this province was once ravaged by political violence. Consequently, Zuma and all other senior leaders of the ANC will help ensure that the breeze of peace blows throughout the corners of the province as we approach the general elections,” said the source.

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Over 19 KZN councillors have been killed since the 2021 political term started in November. John Myaba of the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) in uMhlathuze Municipality and Innocent Mkhwanazi of the IFP’s Mtubatuba Municipality were both murdered in June, less than six days apart.

One month later, after the assassination of the two councillors, Ntombenhle Mchunu, the NFP Nongoma Municipality councillor, was shot dead early this month at her home in Nongoma.

Another NFP councillor from Nongoma Municipality, Phathiseni Manqele, escaped an assassination a week ago.

The ANC’s sitting president, Cyril Ramaphosa, pardoned the former president from returning to jail over an alleged corruption case. His anticipated return to jail has already started causing political violence across the country.

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