JOHANNESBURG - Political killings tend to increase around local government elections, with competition for political power potentially linked to organised crime. That is the view of organised crime researcher Julian Rademeyer.
At least 43 people have been killed in suspected politically motivated attacks in the first nine months of this year.
Rademeyer says the violence is often more pronounced during local government election periods than during national elections.
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“These kinds of killings intensify particularly around local government periods. You know, national elections, we still see some assassinations, but not nearly on this kind of level,” he says.
He believes the intensity of the contest for certain positions could point to links with organised crime, including the recruitment of hitmen and, in some cases, the direct involvement of criminal networks.
However, establishing the motive behind these killings is not always straightforward.
Rademeyer says some attacks that appear to be political assassinations could also be linked to other interests, including involvement in the taxi industry or illegal activities.
As the country approaches another local government election period, the links between political power, organised crime and targeted killings remain a concern.
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