Between the ballot and the barrel of a gun: How a court order is fuelling KZN political violence

Internal political battles in the National Freedom Party (NFP) are allegedly leading to its councillors being killed, because doing so ensures that the party cannot field candidates in by-elections due to a standing court order.

The NFP has been on the receiving end of political violence lately, with PR councillor Ntombenhle Mchunu being the latest to be gunned down in late July.

NFP spokesperson Irvin Barnes told News24 that a court order that bars the party from contesting by-elections until it sorts out its internal battles was being used to shift the balance of power at the volatile Nongoma Local Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal.