City of Cape Town ANC councillor Lazola Gungxe was fatally shot on 3 February after a community meeting in Nyanga. Police reported that two men approached and shot him before fleeing in a white Toyota Avanza without number plates. The motive remains unknown as investigations continue.
On the afternoon of 3 February, ANC councillor Lazola Gungxe attended a community meeting at the Old Crossroads Community Hall in Nyanga, a suburb known for high crime rates. After the gathering, while discussing matters with residents, two unidentified men entered the area, approached Gungxe, and opened fire. The assailants then escaped in a white Toyota Avanza lacking registration plates. Nothing was stolen from the victim, and Nyanga police have opened a murder investigation.
South African Police Service spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk stated, “The motive for the attack is yet to be determined.” Gungxe, who joined the City of Cape Town council in 2016 as a proportional representative for the ANC, served in Subcouncil 13, covering areas like Philippi, Crossroads, Nyanga, and Gugulethu. He was also part of the ANC’s Dullah Omar Regional Executive Committee and sat on the oversight committee for the Department of Urban Mobility, focusing on transport issues.
The ANC’s Cape Town caucus expressed profound shock, describing Gungxe as “not only a colleague, but a comrade and a friend.” They extended condolences to his family and urged a thorough police probe without speculation. Council Speaker Felicity Purchase confirmed the incident, noting she was informed by the ANC chief whip, and hoped the perpetrators would face “the full might of the law.”
The shooting has heightened concerns over the safety of public representatives. ANC Western Cape spokesperson Sifiso Mtsweni demanded a swift investigation and better protection for officials exposed to criminal threats, offering sympathies to Gungxe’s wife, children, and community. Good party councillor Jonathan Cupido called it a “brutal and senseless act” that undermines local governance, emphasizing the dangers councillors face in high-risk environments. One report mentioned the attack occurring in Gungxe’s office, though police details point to the post-meeting discussion site.
Authorities encourage tips via Crime Stop at 08600 10111 or the MySAPS app anonymously.
