Local government elections are looming but instead of campaigning, the ANC’s elections manager in one of its strongholds has been arrested for double murder and attempted murder. In what the ruling party has described as a serious blow to its election strategy in Mpumalanga, premier Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane sent Mandla Msibi packing this week, appointing Cogta MEC Busisiwe Shiba to act in his position as MEC for agriculture, rural development, land and environmental affairs. Mtshweni-Tsipane described Msibi as a “comrade of mine” whom she held in “very high regard”, but added she hoped “this unfortunate event will afford him the opportunity to reflect deeply”.

While the ANC’s swift action to remove him from office should be applauded, it is a tragedy that a senior politician in our ruling party stands accused of shooting dead two people, allegedly in an elections list scuffle, in Mbombela in August. The ANC’s Mpumalanga secretary Lindiwe Ntshalintshali told TimesLIVE she hoped his removal would show prospective voters the party was serious about getting rid of the rot...