In June 2025, the ANC OR Tambo regional task team recorded specific disruptions at branch general meetings. During a meeting in Ward 21 of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality, held at Khalalo Community Hall in Xhora, private security personnel carrying heavy and dangerous firearms arrived. These individuals created an environment of fear and physically assaulted ANC members. A similar incident involving private security with firearms occurred in Ward 26. The regional coordinator, Vinny Tsitsa, wrote letters dated 6 June 2025 to the South African Police Service in the district and to the KSD Municipal Manager requesting security support for future meetings. The letters stated that the presence of these private security personnel severely disrupted the democratic nature of the internal engagements.
In the same period in 2025, the ANC Eastern Cape provincial secretary intervened in disputes affecting 27 branches in the OR Tambo region. The issues included allegations of gatekeeping and process manipulation that had led to fist fights during some branch general meetings. Specific branches in the KSD sub-region were instructed to appear before the Provincial Dispute Resolution Committee. Some branches were recorded as not being in good standing because their membership numbers fell below the required threshold to convene formal meetings.
On or around 11 July 2026, a physical confrontation took place during a candidate nomination meeting in Ward 4 of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality in Mthatha. A party member drew a knife and attempted to stab another participant. Videos of the incident circulated on social media, showing other members restraining the individual. This occurred as part of the candidate selection process for the November 2026 local government elections.
Additional disruptions of ANC branch meetings were reported in Buffalo City in June 2026. In one ward, a branch general meeting was disrupted after an incumbent councillor was outvoted. In Ward 7 in Duncan Village, a public nomination meeting turned violent and police used rubber bullets to disperse crowds. In Ward 27 in Mzamomhle, near Gonubie, members used pepper spray on one another and the meeting collapsed without resolution. In Scenery Park, several party members required medical treatment after exposure to pepper spray during a meeting.
Candidate list processes for the 2026 local government elections produced further recorded disputes. The ANC failed to submit complete candidate lists by the Independent Electoral Commission deadline of 28 August 2026 in several Eastern Cape municipalities, including Ingquza Hill and Port St Johns. Disgruntled members in King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality submitted formal complaints through attorneys challenging the submission of candidates they stated had not been approved by the relevant branches and communities.
Separate public protests in the King Sabata Dalindyebo area have involved the burning of tyres. In June 2026, traders protested the demolition of containers in the Mthatha central business district. Burning tyres were used and caused traffic congestion. In 2026, multiple electricity transformers and mini-substations in Mthatha were deliberately set on fire or vandalised, resulting in prolonged power outages. On 5 October 2026, residents in the Northcrest suburb reported a five-day blackout linked to such damage. Police and municipal authorities recorded arrests related to the infrastructure attacks.
Chaos erupts at an alleged ANC branch meeting https://t.co/rzhoJnzL70
— PrimeTime News (@PrimeTimeNewsZA) October 5, 2026
These are the specific, documented incidents of physical disruption, weapon use, security interference and related public disorder connected to ANC internal meetings and candidate processes in the Eastern Cape during 2025 and 2026.
Five Arrested After 31-Year-Old Man Allegedly Kidnapped and Murdered in Bloemfontein
Five suspects have been arrested in connection with the alleged kidnapping and murder of a 31-year-old man in Phase 7, Bloemfontein, in the Free State.
The incident happened during the early hours of Sunday, 4 October 2026, after the man was reportedly involved in an argument with a group of strangers while drinking with friends.
According to police, the situation escalated before the victim was allegedly forced into a black vehicle and driven away by the group.
Police were later alerted after the man was found lying in a street in Phase 7 at approximately 6am.
He had suffered multiple stab wounds to his face, as well as deep wounds to his left cheek. A large rock and a small spanner were also found near his body.
Paramedics attended the scene and declared the man dead.
Following the discovery, a dedicated investigation team led by Bloemspruit Detectives was established to identify those responsible and trace the circumstances surrounding the alleged kidnapping and killing.
Police said the investigation resulted in the arrest of five suspects.
The suspects are aged between 21 and 34 and remain in police custody.
They are expected to appear in court soon, where they will face charges of murder and kidnapping.
Free State police have not indicated that the suspects have been convicted, and the allegations against them will still have to be tested through the criminal justice process.
Free State Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Thabang Solomon Lesia commended the detectives involved in the investigation and the arrests.
Police said the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the man’s death remains part of the criminal case as the suspects proceed through the legal process.
WATCH | Cash-in-transit robbery reported in Maraisburg, West Rand
A cash-in-transit (CIT) robbery was reported on the morning of Monday, 5 October 2026, in Maraisburg on the West Rand of Johannesburg.
The incident occurred at Milwart Bridge, outside the Bowling Club in Maraisburg. Reports also indicated shooting by suspects on New Canada Road in the same area.
Motorists and residents were urged to avoid the affected roads because of the ongoing incident, expected delays, and a heavy police presence.
The matter remains under investigation. No further confirmed details on the number of suspects involved, any injuries or fatalities, the amount of cash taken (if any), vehicles used, or arrests have been publicly released by the South African Police Service at the time of available reports.
This is a developing incident based on contemporaneous public reports from the morning of 5 October 2026. Official police statements with additional verified facts may follow.
Man Shot Dead at Elsies River Shopping Centre in Broad Daylight
A man was shot and killed at Avonwood Square shopping centre in Elsies River, Cape Town, on the morning of Friday, 2 October 2026.
The shooting happened in the parking area along Balvenie Avenue, with shoppers and workers in the vicinity when the incident unfolded.
According to information gathered from the scene, the incident began when a vehicle was involved in a collision with another vehicle inside the shopping centre parking area. Three people were reportedly inside the vehicle at the time.
Two occupants allegedly fled from the vehicle after the collision, while the driver remained inside.
The driver was reportedly getting out of the vehicle when an armed man approached and opened fire. The driver was struck and fatally wounded during the shooting.
Several shots were also reportedly fired in the direction of the two people who had fled from the vehicle.
The shooting caused panic among people at the shopping centre, with witnesses describing how quickly the incident unfolded. Police subsequently secured the area and conducted an investigation at the scene.
The aftermath of the collision remained visible in the parking area, including damage to another vehicle and debris scattered across the scene.
The deceased was reportedly found partly outside a grey Renault Kwid, with the driver’s door open.
Police remained at the scene for several hours while evidence was secured and the circumstances surrounding the shooting were investigated.
Western Cape police spokesperson Thembakazi Mpendukana confirmed that Elsies River detectives are investigating a murder following the shooting of an adult male at Balvenie Avenue on Friday morning.
Police confirmed that no arrests had been made at the time of the latest report and that the investigation remains ongoing.
The motive for the shooting has not been officially confirmed by police.
There were reports from people at the scene suggesting that the incident could be linked to gang activity, but this has not been confirmed by authorities and remains part of the unverified information surrounding the shooting.
The incident took place in a busy shopping-centre environment, with members of the public and workers present when the shooting occurred.
Police are continuing with the investigation as they work to establish the circumstances that led to the shooting and identify those responsible.
Anyone with information that could assist investigators is urged to provide it to the police.
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