Off the wire
• Nigerian troops kill 42 Boko Haram insurgents  • News Analysis: Failed coup may urge thaw in Turkey's regional ties, yet tense with West: experts  • S.African state to appeal Pistorius six-year sentence  • Italy down England 2-1 to grab a berth in UEFA Under-19 final  • South Africa's repo rate remains unchanged at 7 pct  • Ghana president urges industrialization to achieve sustainable growth  • Foreign exchange rate of Euro to other currencies  • Gold up on mixed U.S. data, weaker U.S. dollar  • France edge Portugal 3-1 to book final in UEFA Under-19  • Oil prices retreat on global glut worries  
You are here: 　 Home

South African gov't condemns political killings before local elections

Xinhua, July 22, 2016 Adjust font size:

The South African government on Thursday voiced grave concern over the killings of South Africans who have been nominated by their parties as candidates for the upcoming local government elections.

The government "condemns this in the strongest terms" and call for peace and tolerance, the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs said in a statement.

A number of politicians have been killed in the run-up to the elections, scheduled for August 3.

"Government calls on all parties particularly in KwaZulu-Natal to ensure that the killings come to a stop and to cooperate with the political and law enforcement structures in place in the province and who are already hard at work to root out this evil", said Des Van Rooyen, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.

The government calls on all political parties and independent candidates to uphold the Electoral Code of Conduct, Van Rooyen said.

He said the government will continue to ensure that the local government elections environment is free, fair and peaceful. Endit