- There is a deadly power battle among ANC members in Flagstaff and Lusikisiki.
- As a result, councillors at the Ingquza Hill municipality are living in fear.
- A local councillor and his son were shot dead on Friday night.
Terrified ANC councillors at the Ingquza Hill local municipality in Lusikisiki are living in fear as factional battles reach boiling point.
It follows the assassination of a ward councillor and his son on Friday night.
Fundisile Ranai, 49, who is a water and sanitation committee member at the OR Tambo district municipality, and his 18-year-old son, Siyolise, were shot dead at their Slovo Park home at about 20.30.
The Eastern Cape's police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nomthetheleli Mene, said at least two armed men stormed into Ranai's home and opened fire.
"The suspects fatally shot the 18-year-old son of the councillor, and seriously wounded the councillor, who later died in hospital. The councillor's eight-year-old daughter escaped unscathed," said Mene.
The double murders come a month after two other councillors, Sinethemba Mbendane and Lima Khumalo, survived assassination attempts in August.
Insiders say Ranai's name was allegedly on a hit list of councillors targeted because they allegedly met to plot the ousting of two well-known municipal leaders.
Party insiders told News24 that council members from the municipality's towns of Lusikisiki and Flagstaff were locked in a power struggle.
Asked for comment, the municipality's Speaker, Sbongile Vatsa, said Mbendane and his family were not home when gunmen opened fire at his house.
She said that, a week later, bullets were fired at Khumalo's car during a drive-by shooting.
Vatsa said ANC councillors were living in fear, with some having fled their homes to go into hiding.
Vatsa said:
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Vatsa said a council meeting had been called to discuss the possibility of hiring armed body guards for councillors.
"At the council meeting to be held later this week, we will discuss the funeral preparations for Ranai and the safety of councillors," said Vatsa.
The ANC in the Eastern Cape said it was deeply angered and shocked at the brutal killing of Ranai and his son.
"We are angry at the senseless killing of one of the most dedicated and hardworking councillors in our province. Our hearts are with the Ranai family. This is a tragic loss for the Ranai family, the ANC, the community of Lusikisiki and the municipality.
"We call on law enforcement agencies to intensify their work to hunt down the perpetrators and bring them to book," the party said.
Ranai's murder comes days after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that 300 councillors had been killed over the last few years by criminals who had taken over some of the country's councils.
Ranai's distraught family could not immediately be reached for comment.
Meanwhile, police say the motive for the attack is unknown, but the circumstances surrounding the incident form part of the investigation.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the nearest police station. The information may also be shared via the Crime Stop number: 08600 10111.