Mpumalanga's culture of political violence has deep roots in the province's unique combination of factors: a dominant ANC with no credible opposition (giving internal factional battles life-or-death stakes), massive coal mining revenue flowing through provincial government, and a largely rural population dependent on government services and employment.
The violence centres on municipal tenders. In Mpumalanga, controlling the municipality means controlling access to road construction contracts, water infrastructure projects, and coal supply agreements worth tens to hundreds of millions of rand. When political rivals threaten access to these contracts — by running against incumbent councillors, exposing corruption, or challenging procurement decisions — they are frequently killed.
The pattern is well-documented. A councillor who opposes a tender award is shot outside their home. A municipal manager who refuses to sign off on a corrupt contract is killed in an apparent hijacking. A whistleblower who reports irregularities to the police is found dead. The hitmen are usually hired through intermediaries, and while some triggermen are caught, the masterminds — the politicians and businesspeople who ordered the killings — are almost never prosecuted.
In Bushbuckridge Local Municipality, multiple councillors and officials were killed in tender-related disputes between 2005 and 2020. In Nkomazi Local Municipality, the struggle for control of cross-border trade and construction tenders fuelled assassinations. In Thaba Chweu, tourism development tenders and forest plantation contracts were linked to political violence.
The coal dimension adds another layer. Mpumalanga is the heartland of South Africa's coal industry. Coal supply contracts — worth billions — have been captured by politically connected companies. When this nexus is threatened, violence follows.
Former Premier David Mabuza, who went on to become Deputy President under Ramaphosa, was widely reported to have used political violence to consolidate his control of the province. Witnesses at the Zondo Commission and investigative journalists documented how Mabuza's faction used intimidation, killings, and tender manipulation to maintain power. Mabuza has denied all allegations.
The human cost is staggering: dozens of lives lost, communities terrorised, and a political culture where opposing corruption can be a death sentence.