Unqualified councilors a recipe for murder

19 Jul 2017

You don't need to be qualified to be a councillor, which is why people are killed over the coveted posts.

Unqualified councilors a recipe for murder

University of KwaZulu-Natal professor Paulos Zulu told the Moerane Commission into political violence yesterday, 18 July 2017, that this was one of the main drivers of political violence.

Anyone could be elected a councillor in South Africa, regardless of their qualifications, Zulu said.

He told the commission that if politicians, especially at councillor level, had to be qualified to take up their posts, murdering for positions would be greatly eliminated.

Zulu said that there was more competition for councillor positions than there was in the national assembly or provincial legislatures.

"This country is anarchic. When there are street demonstrations, they turn into violence. Say, if I don't like my employer, I block the N3 [highway]," he said.

Zulu said that stipulating qualifications for political positions should be a priority.

"To be in council, one must appreciate the budget, have a grasp of the statistics and know that if you have 'X' and not 'Y', you cannot get there. There's a serious dearth of skills. But [instead], those who shout the most and sing the most at rallies get the positions," he said.

"If you have a qualification you won't go to the extent of killing because you are marketable."

He said current violence was different from that of the 1980s in that it "targets people who occupy positions in society".

Source: The Times

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