The killing of UDM councillor and Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) chair Luxolo Namette on Saturday 7 November, 2026 follows a grim sequence of councillor assassinations in Nelson Mandela Bay since 2022.
The other three councillors murdered in the metro were:
Mzwandile Booi (ANC, Ward 20)
Date of Murder: February 2022
Circumstances: Booi was shot and killed while sitting in his car in Gqeberha.
Arrests / Status: Arrests were made in connection with his killing, and the trial involving suspected hitmen and alleged orchestrators moved through the Eastern Cape courts.
Andile Andries (ANC, Ward 43)
Date of Murder: 2 May 2022 (less than three months after Booi’s death)
Circumstances: Andries was gunned down outside his home in KwaNobuhle amid intense local political tensions and branch-level contestations.
Arrests / Status: Police launched a manhunt under specialized provincial task teams, leading to the apprehension of suspects linked to the hit.
Sicelo Mleve (ANC, Ward 27)
Date of Murder: 21 June 2026
Circumstances: Two gunmen stormed Mleve’s office during a meeting with about 10 people present. The attackers demanded phones and specifically asked for Mleve by name before shooting him dead. Notably, Mleve had previously been assigned municipal protection services due to threats on his life in 2024, but had relinquished the protection by the time of the attack.
Arrests / Status: Two suspects -Lufunolwethu Nyodi (20) and Ahlumile Stofile (21) – were arrested in connection with his murder.
Other Incidents of Intimidation and Violence:
Kayzel Forbes:
Just days before the election (late on Monday night, 2 November 2026), DA Ward 50 Candidate Forbes’ family home in Kariega (Uitenhage) was petrol-bombed. Attackers broke a window and poured petrol into a room before setting it alight while the family was asleep.
The house was largely gutted by the fire, and Forbes’ teenage daughter sustained burn injuries to her leg while escaping.
Despite the severe destruction and trauma, Forbes publicly vowed not to be intimidated, and police subsequently launched a high-priority arson and attempted murder investigation (with arrests following shortly after). Forbes (31.04%) ultimately polled second place in Ward 50 – losing to Bongani Gladman Bongani (41.66%).
Rayno Kayser:
Democratic Alliance (DA) Councillor Rayno Kayser (DA’s Nelson Mandela Bay Caucus Leader) was severely injured during a violent brawl inside the Nelson Mandela Bay council chambers on 26 October 2016.
During a heated council meeting, then-ANC councillor Andile Lungisa smashed a glass water jug over Kayser’s head. Kayser sustained serious injuries, including a laceration to his temple requiring stitches, deep cuts on his neck where glass had to be surgically removed, and a chest wound.
Following protracted court proceedings and unsuccessful appeals, Lungisa was convicted of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and began serving an effective two-year prison sentence in September 2020.
