Friends and colleagues of Victor Molosi are trying to make sense of what led to the ANC ward councillor they described as kind and well-liked by residents, being shot metres from his house in Knysna.
The Ward 8 councillor was shot at several times in Concordia on Monday night and died on arrival at hospital.
ANC chief whip in Knysna Mertle Gombo, who had known Molosi for many years, told News24 on Wednesday that she did not think the attacker came from the community.
"This man was dedicated and committed to his community. To me, he was like Mandela," she said.
"I think it is political. We will find out very soon. If the police are really doing what they are supposed to do, [we] will find out."
Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie said Molosi, 50, had apparently been on his way from a school governing body meeting at Concordia High School when a gunman attacked him at around 22:00.
One of the bullets hit him in the head.
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Stephen De Vries, an ANC councillor in the Eden District Municipality, said it had been a "total shock" when Gombo phoned that night to tell him Molosi had been shot.
Less than 10 minutes later, he got another call to say he had died in hospital.
The two had known each other since 1999, when they worked together on the regional executive committee and De Vries was the chairperson of the southern Cape ANC.
He said he would not speculate on the motive but would leave it to the police to comment.
However, as far as he knew, Molosi was popular and had no enemies.
"Knysna is a very small town where most people know each other and even people across political lines are very friendly to each other," De Vries explained.
He said Molosi was dedicated and many people went to him for advice because he was knowledgeable about many things.
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"He was a very kind person, a gentleman, somebody with a good soul. Those are not words you normally hear when you hear people describing politicians."
Pojie said on Wednesday that no arrests had yet been made.
"A task team consisting of provincial and cluster detectives was assigned to investigate," he said.
A dedicated hotline (079 894 1605) has been created for people to call should they have any information on his murder.
The Knysna council, regional ANC and Concordia High School planned to hold separate memorial services for Molosi, said Gombo.
These would take place next week.