Reports of the death of former ANC Youth League (ANCYL) secretary-general Sindiso Magaqa were met with "grave sadness", the ANC said on Monday evening.
Magaqa, formerly part of the ANCYL's top six alongside Julius Malema before his suspension in 2012, died at the Albert Luthuli Hospital in Durban on Monday at age 35. He succumbed to injuries sustained in a suspected ambush in July in which he and two other ANC councillors were shot in Mzimkhulu, south of Durban.
My brother and friend #SindisoMagaqa is no more, may his soul Rest In Peace. We will always miss you fearless economic freedom fighter.😢💔💔💔💔 pic.twitter.com/VyWBOcLJrc
— Julius Sello Malema (@Julius_S_Malema) September 4, 2017
The ANC said he was one of their "most brave and fearless fighters" who remained loyal to the organisation despite "suffering differences with the leadership of the organisation and marginalisation within the structures of the movement".
Meanwhile, outrage has continued to mount over political killings in the province, emboldened by the announcement of Magaqa's death.
ANC councillor Kwazi Mkhize (34) is the latest to have been gunned down in the Midlands on 30 August amid protracted political violence in the province, according to News24.
Posts on social media lambasted prolonged political killings in KwaZulu-Natal, currently under scrutiny in the Moerane Commission of Inquiry set up to investigate the scourge of political violence in recent years in the province.
NONSENSICAL POLITICAL KILLINGS MUST STOP
NONSENSICAL POLITICAL KILLINGS MUST STOP
NONSENSICAL POLITICAL KILLINGS MUST STOP#SindisoMagaqa
— Bulelani Phillip (@BulelaniPhillip) September 4, 2017
The Glebelands hostel in KwaZulu-Natal remains a focal point in the investigations into political killings in the province. Vanessa Burger, an independent activist and witness in the Moerane Commission, in July said Magaqa's shooter could be traced to the notorious hostel.
The Right2Know campaign in July said Glebelands remained a "national blindspot" despite having "nearly three times the number of people killed at Marikana".
Many others online expressed dismay at his death and the broad-scale failure to curb violence in the province, while others have accused individuals within political structures of complicity in the violence.
People tweeting RIP yet they sit on structures that condone bullying and raise mercenaries. Speak up, stop the blind loyalty! #SindisoMagaqa
— OfficialCleverBlack (@MaShongwe) September 5, 2017
Why not take responsibility for the failure of ANC to stop political violence in its ranks which has led to #SindisoMagaqa's painful death? https://t.co/Cl8CWOHuEz
— IG: @MbuyiseniNdlozi (@MbuyiseniNdlozi) September 4, 2017
The low intensity war continues to claim a victim after another! Rest In Peace #SindisoMagaqa
— Zwelinzima Vavi (@Zwelinzima1) September 4, 2017
ANC killing their own & then playing the "he was one of us card". The lengths people will go all in the name of greed! Sies!😞 #SindisoMagaqa
— The Rap Business™ (@TheRapBusiness) September 5, 2017
#SindisoMagaqa The radical of our generation. An irritant to the corrupt, a leader to many and a friend to some. RIP Sindiso! pic.twitter.com/3LmdIzvMiX
— Sixo (@SixoGcilishe) September 5, 2017
#SindisoMagaqa tried to question corruption within his ward & paid for it with his life. Blowing the lid on corruptions comes at a cost. pic.twitter.com/Sfxzug24Hh
— Anele Nzimande (@Anele_Nzimande) September 4, 2017