Durban - The National Freedom Party (NFP) has called for politicians to arm themselves, in light of the many who have been killed recently in KwaZulu-Natal.
In the latest political killing, eThekwini ward 14 branch ANC chairperson Cassim Phiri was gunned down after leaving a branch meeting. Phiri was buried on Wednesday, in keeping with Islamic traditions and customs.
There have been calls by parties, including the IFP, for councillors to be provided with security details on a fulltime basis, instead of only when they are under a threat which has been verified by law enforcement authorities.
However, the NFP wants even more drastic methods to be employed o guarantee the safety and security of politicians in a province that has become synonymous with political killings.
Canaan Mdletshe, NFP secretary-general, said following the recent surge of political killings, politicians and councillors had to be exempted from stringent restrictions on carrying a firearm for self-defence.
“We are not opposed to the legislation, but it is clear that councillors and politicians are under siege. Something drastic has to be done. Part of our proposal is that laws must be loosened when it comes to politicians and councillors.
They must be permitted to apply for a firearm licence for selfdefence. They must be allowed to carry guns in public for self protection,” Mdletshe said. He said it seemed to be a trend for politicians to be targeted when leaving a meeting, and that this meant they were most vulnerable when attending party meetings or council sittings.
“For their safety, councillors and politicians must be permitted to carry guns in public, including in meetings. We cannot continue like this where public representatives are at the mercy of either hired hitmen or thugs.
“Laws of the country must be lenient to citizens, including public representatives and politicians in general. Therefore, anything must be done to ensure their safety.
If it calls for them to have special licences and permits to carry firearms in public, so be it,” Mdletshe said. Senzelwe Mzila, the spokesperson for KZN Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Sihle Zikalala, said that Zikalala had condemned the attacks on councillors, Amakhosi and Izinduna.
“(Zikalala) has called upon law enforcement to leave no stone unturned in their quest to apprehend those who are responsible. The issue of protection of councillors is a law enforcement matter that you might have to refer to the individual municipality or police,” Mzila said.
Speaking last month at the funeral of Dumisani Khumalo, of the Osuthu Traditional Council, in Nongoma, Zikalala lamented that community leaders such as Amakhosi, Izinduna and councillors who were supposed to be protected by communities, were being killed.
Khumalo, 76, was murdered by unknown gunmen on September 17, after arriving home from the Umkhosi Wohlanga ceremony held at the eNyokeni Royal Palace in Nongoma.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE