Tributes pour in for ANC Councillor Lazola Gungxe, shot dead after community meeting
Councillor Lazola Gungxe was shot dead in Old Crossroads on Tuesday after a community meeting.
Image: Supplied
Police in the Western Cape are searching for two suspects who shot and killed a Cape Town councillor after a community meeting in Nyanga on Tuesday.
Councillor Lazola Gungxe, 48, a member of the African National Congress (ANC), was gunned down at the Old Crossroads Community Hall in Gwayi Street as he was speaking to members of the community after the meeting.
The Western Cape police spokesperson, Captain Frederick van Wyk, confirmed the shooting incident.
“On Tuesday, at 3pm, Nyanga SAPS members attend to a shooting incident at the Old Crossroads Community Hall in Gwayi Street, Nyanga. Upon the member's arrival, the body of the 48-year-old deceased was found lying near the entrance of the hall,” van Wyk said.
“According to reports, there was a community meeting, and after the meeting, the deceased discussed certain issues with the community members when two males entered and approached the deceased and shot him. They fled the scene in a white Toyota Avanza with no registration numbers. The suspects are unknown. Nothing was taken from the deceased,” van Wyk added.
The motive for the shooting is undetermined at this stage.
Gungxe joined the City of Cape Town council in 2016 as a proportional representative councillor for the ANC. He was also a member of the ANC’s Dullah Omar Regional Executive Committee.
ANC regional spokesperson, Akhona Jonginamba, said the party was devastated at Gungxe’s untimely death and described him as a dedicated councillor.
“At this time of profound shock and grief, our primary focus is on providing support to the bereaved family, colleagues, and the community. The ANC sends its deepest condolences to the family, friends, and comrades of the fallen Councillor. We call for calm and allow the law to take its course,” Jonginamba said.
Jonathan Cupido from the GOOD party also conveyed condolences.
“Councillors serve communities on the front lines, working daily in difficult and often dangerous environments to resolve disputes, assist residents, and strengthen local democracy. When a councillor is murdered while performing this role, it is not only a personal tragedy, but an attack on public service and community stability,” Cupido said.
The party has called for authorities to prioritise this matter and demanded that those responsible for the murder be brought to book.
The South African Communist Party (SACP) in the Brian Bunting District also expressed their shock at the murder.
The district secretary, Monde Nqulwana, condemned the heinous crime.
“Comrade Lazola Gungxe was not merely a councillor by title; he was a grassroots community activist, deeply rooted in the daily struggles of the working poor, and a cadre who led from the front in defending the interests of his community against crime, neglect, and social decay. His life embodied the tradition of people's leadership forged in struggle,” Nqulwana said.
Police urge anyone with information regarding this shooting incident to contact Crime Stop at 08600 10111 or use the mobile application MySAPS anonymously.
robin.francke@iol.co.za
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