Why are people dying to be elected in South Africa?

South Africa is  not more violent than it was pre-democracy, however, the road to the 2016 local government elections has been long and bloody.

A multi-disciplinary police task team was established to investigate and try to prevent political killings by Police Minister Nkosinathi Nhleko. The team; made up of members of various SA Police Service (SAPS) units, including crime intelligence, detectives, the directorate for priority crime investigation (Hawks), and other specialised units such as forensics.

“We have noted with serious concern the incidents of killings, particularly where political figures are victims or where the killings are being linked to the upcoming local government.
A situation like this cannot be allowed to continue, especially in the context of democracy,” he said in a statement.

Whereas during apartheid assissinations occurred in a diversity of circumstances, they now tend to be targeted assassinations, though some also occur in other contexts.

Explore this interactive map below of recent political killings.