EVIDENCE leaders at the Moerane Commission delivered their closing arguments in Mount Edgecombe on Wednesday.
They put aside public perceptions of alleged corruption as a major cause of the killing in the notorious Umzimkhulu Municipality, on the south coast of KZN.
They told commission chairman Advocate Marumo Moerane and his fellow commissioners that the commission should state that political problems in the Harry Gwala region were the underlying cause of the political killings.
Advocate Bheki Manyathi said he did not discard the view that there was corruption in the municipality. But no evidence was given to the commission to back up these allegations.
“The commission should therefore find that the death of two councillors, Sindiso Magaqa and Mduduzi Tshibase, and municipal speaker Khaya Thobela relate to politics and conflicts in the Harry Gwala region.”
He pointed out that they have excluded 13 murder cases which were publicly perceived as political due to lack of evidence relating them to politics.
Manyathi said such cases included that of personal assistant Nkosinathi Ngcobo from Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma Municipality gunned down last year.
ANC candidate councillor Bongani Sikhosana was shot and killed in Harding in 2016.
Another evidence leader, Advocate Andile Nqanda, touched on the claims made by some witnesses that the SAPS’ crime intelligence unit was not doing enough to arrest the perpetrators.
