Nkululeko Dunga, former MMC for Finance in the City of Ekurhuleni and Chairperson of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Gauteng, survived an assassination attempt in the early hours of Wednesday, 02 October 2024.
According to a media statement from the EFF, the attack occurred at Dunga’s family home in Ekurhuleni. The statement details that at approximately midnight, suspicious footsteps were heard on the roof, prompting Dunga’s son to request a security check. Around 2 am, security personnel conducting patrols were ambushed and shot at by armed intruders who had positioned themselves on the roof.
“The security guard returned fire, engaging with at least three shooters before eight heavily armed assailants fled the scene by jumping over the wall. For two hours, these men lay in wait, ready to carry out what was clearly a coordinated and premeditated attempt on the life of a revolutionary leader,” the statement reads.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported, and no lives were lost during the incident.
The EFF condemned the attack, attributing it to the rising political violence and lawlessness in South Africa. This incident adds to a growing list of politically motivated attacks in the region.
In May 2024, two members of the Umkhonto we Sizwe Party were shot and killed during a dispute with ANC-affiliated individuals in Katlehong, a township in Ekurhuleni. A month later, Patrick Ndlela, an MK Party member and former ANC member, was found dead with his throat slit at his home in Daveyton, Ekurhuleni.
On 01 October 2024, two men, Simon Mahuse and Frans Ntshumayelo, were sentenced to 24 years in prison by the Gauteng High Court for the hijacking and murder of EFF Councillor Koketso Mojatau and Siboniso Sokhele in April 2023.
A report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), released on 01 May 2024, has revealed that there were at least 10 politically motivated assassinations in South Africa during the first four months of 2024, an average of one hit every two weeks between January and April.
A case with case number 35/10/2024 has since been opened at the Mondeor Police Station.
