Many of those who keep a close eye on the news have become rather blasé about this country’s political assassinations.

Oh, another hit on an ANC politician? Onto the next headline, probably about State Capture and mass looting, without batting an eyelid.

It’s a sad indictment on the state of our political system that we can hardly muster shock any longer, but it’s a different story for those watching from abroad.

Take the New York Times and their latest article focusing on SA – “Hit Men and Power: South Africa’s Leaders Are Killing One Another”.

Having already laid bare the dirty deeds of deputy president David Mabuza, and gone to town on SARS, let’s see what they have to say about the assassinations:

Political assassinations are rising sharply in South Africa, threatening the stability of hard-hit parts of the country and imperiling Mr. Mandela’s dream of a unified, democratic nation.

But unlike much of the political violence that upended the country in the 1990s, the recent killings are not being driven by vicious battles between rival political parties.

Quite the opposite: In most cases, A.N.C. officials are killing one another, hiring professional hit men to eliminate fellow party members in an all-or-nothing fight over money, turf and power, A.N.C. officials say…

After nearly 25 years in power, party members have increasingly turned to fighting, not over competing visions for the nation, but over influential positions and the spoils that go with them.

The death toll is climbing quickly. About 90 politicians have been killed since the start of 2016, more than twice the annual rate in the 16 years before that, according to researchers at the University of Cape Town and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Crime.

Let that number sink in – 90 politicians have been killed in under three years.

You can get killed for just about anything these days:

The recent assassinations cover a wide range of personal and political feuds. Some victims were A.N.C. officials who became targets after exposing or denouncing corruption within the party. Others fell in internal battles for lucrative posts. In rural areas — where the party has a near-total grip on the economy, jobs and government contracts — the conflict is particularly intense, with officials constantly looking over their shoulders.

Just another series of empty, broken promises.

You can read the full New York Times article here.

[source:newyorktimes]