EDITORIAL COMMENT
Last week, Knysna was shocked by three killings in the space of little more than 24 hours.
Three lives were taken, families were devastated and a community was once again forced to confront the darkest consequences of violence.
Whatever the motives behind these killings may ultimately prove to be, there can be no justification for settling political differences with a gun.
The killing of former mayor and sitting ANC Ward 8 councillor Aubrey Tsengwa, followed less than 24 hours later by the fatal shooting of former Ward 7 councillor Mandla Matiwane and local taxi forum secretary Mandla Tyololo, has left Knysna deeply unsettled.
The police are investigating whether the shootings are connected, while the motives remain under investigation.
It is therefore essential that speculation does not replace evidence, and that those responsible are identified through proper investigation and due process.
Political rivalry must never become violence
But there is an uncomfortable truth that must be confronted. Political rivalry becomes dangerous when power, influence and access to resources are valued more highly than human life. Knysna has a history of political tension and factional conflict.
Knysna-Plett Herald has reported on previous confrontations involving political groupings, including an alleged altercation in 2025 that resulted in arrests.
More recently, questions surrounding municipal tenders and the forthcoming local government elections on 4 November have added to an already tense political environment.
None of this proves who is responsible for these murders. It does, however, underline the need for political leaders to take the culture of confrontation seriously.
Political parties exist to serve communities, not to create enemies within them.
Elections are supposed to afford citizens a peaceful means of choosing their representatives. Disagreements over candidates, positions or influence must be settled through debate, democratic processes and, where necessary, the courts; never through intimidation, violence or murder.
The people of Knysna deserve better
We deserve politicians who can disagree without becoming enemies. We deserve institutions strong enough to withstand factional pressure. We deserve law enforcement that investigates these murders thoroughly and without fear or favour.
And we deserve to live in a town where nobody has to wonder whether speaking out, standing for office, or belonging to a particular political grouping could put their life at risk.
Most importantly, the families of those who have been killed deserve justice. Their loved ones must not become statistics in another chapter of South Africa's troubled history of political violence.
Their deaths must not be normalised, forgotten or used merely as ammunition in the next political argument.
The message out of Knysna must therefore be clear: Politics is not worth a human life. No position, party, tender, faction or election is worth killing for. Anyone who uses violence to settle political disputes does not strengthen democracy. They destroy it.
Knysna must reject that path, decisively and together.
• At the time of going to press, two more people had been gunned down - a police captain and a suspect.
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