16 October 2026 · Verified against dated reporting and official statements.

A campaign stop turns deadly

Two ANC campaigners were shot dead in Umgababa, south of Durban, on Thursday, 15 October 2026, while taking part in door-to-door election work. SABC News identified one of those killed as Lungani Makhathini, the party’s Ward 98 coordinator. The second person killed was a woman volunteering in the campaign.

KwaZulu-Natal police said a white Isuzu bakkie approached a group consisting of three political-party members and two bodyguards in Area 24. Gunmen opened fire using rifles and pistols. A man and a woman died at the scene, and a third campaigner was injured while fleeing. The whereabouts of the two bodyguards were not established in the initial police account.

Police investigate, but the motive remains open

Provincial police opened two murder cases and three attempted-murder cases. Their statement did not identify suspects or confirm a political motive. Investigators said political intolerance could not be ruled out, a distinction that matters: the circumstances suggest a possible targeted attack, but motive is a matter for evidence rather than assumption.

Early accounts differed on the number of people physically struck by bullets, including whether the two bodyguards were injured. This report relies on the police’s description of the group and its formal charges rather than treating those preliminary reports as settled.

The people behind the headlines

Makhathini’s brother, Sihle, told SABC News that his brother supported his family and community. The ANC’s eThekwini regional leadership said the killings had shaken volunteers and promised to reassess safety arrangements for canvassers.

Regional convenor Thabani Nyawose told eNCA that campaigners were afraid to continue working in the area. He said he believed the coordinator may have been targeted, but acknowledged that investigators had not established why the shooting happened.

An election-season test of public safety

The attack comes weeks before South Africa’s 4 November municipal elections and days after a separate fatal shooting of mourners in Katlehong. The cases are distinct; there is no evidence presented by police linking the perpetrators or motives.

For Umgababa, the immediate questions are whether investigators can identify the gunmen, clarify the fate of the two bodyguards and establish a motive. Until then, the deaths should be reported as a confirmed attack on campaigners, not a solved political assassination.

Sources and verification

This report distinguishes police statements and court evidence from untested claims. Source material: