02/09/2026
🚨 Contract killings expose the link between organised crime and politics
At the Madlanga Commission, Dr Mark Shaw highlighted contract killings and assassinations as a clear sign of a well-developed criminal economy, where violence is effectively commercialised.
Shaw said their data has recorded 2,458 assassinations between 2000 and 2025, while this year alone there have been close to 30 incidents of politically motivated killings.
He warned that the growing intersection between politics and organised crime poses a serious threat to South Africa’s constitutional democracy, particularly at local level, where violence can be contracted for political purposes.
Shaw said assassinations were historically concentrated within the ANC, but the latest data shows that political killings are now spread across parties, with the MK Party currently the most targeted in their data.
While assassinations occur across all provinces, KwaZulu-Natal has historically recorded the highest numbers.