Knysna residents are on tenterhooks after the killing of three ANC members, with several councillors having been moved to places of safety as fear grips the town.
Though no arrests have been made over last week’s brazen attacks, several people have been taken in for questioning.
Knysna acting municipal manager Boy Ngubo confirmed that the municipality had deployed additional security for councillors due to “the nature of the crisis”.
The decision comes after former Knysna mayor, councillor Aubrey Tsengwa, 48, was gunned down while on his way home on Wednesday evening.
A day later, former Knysna ward 7 councillor Mandla Matiwane, 47, and Knysna Codeta (Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association) chair Mandla Tyololo, 48, were shot dead in Bongani at about 9pm on Thursday.
All three were ANC members.
Though details remained sketchy, preliminary reports indicated that Matiwane and Tyololo were in a vehicle when they came under fire.
Tsengwa, the Ward 8 councillor, was killed in Ngxalo Street, Joodse Kamp, while driving home with several other people.
One of the passengers was wounded in the arm and taken to hospital.
Police said an unknown gunman approached their vehicle at about 9.20pm and opened fire before fleeing on foot.
Tsengwa was declared dead at the scene.
Ngubo said the municipality had since taken precautionary steps.
“Some councillors have been taken to a place of safety due to the nature of the crisis.
“I can’t divulge more information.”
Ngubo said municipal work and services would continue to operate as planned.
“Law enforcement and police will also do a proper risk assessment to understand the gravity of what we are dealing with,” he said.
Western Cape police commissioner Lieutenant-General Sizakhele Dyantyi, who visited the Garden Route town on Saturday, said police were following several leads.
“The investigation team is working very hard around the clock.
“What I can say at this stage is that we have specific people we are questioning.”
Dyantyi said the investigations should be afforded space and time and people needed to refrain from speculating about who was behind the shootings.
He also appealed to municipal officials and representatives to be cautious about posts on social media that might impede the investigations.
Dyantyi was accompanied by Ngubo as well as police oversight and community safety MEC Anroux Marais and district commissioner for the Garden Route, Major-General Phumzile Cetyana, during the visit.
Water and sanitation minister Pemmy Majodina visited the homes of the slain ANC members at the weekend.
Majodina said after the brutal killings of its members the party needed to show compassion and visit the grieving families.
“ANC members are currently away and working on the selection of candidates, but because of the sudden, painful murders of three members, we could not turn a blind eye and not visit the families of the ANC soldiers,” she said.
“This is the reason we are here today [Saturday] to offer support and to say we are with the families.”
Tsengwa’s death has drawn tributes from across Knysna’s political divide, despite a career marked by strong political convictions, leadership battles and controversy.
He served as deputy mayor in 2019 before becoming mayor in August 2022, when an ANC-led coalition replaced the DA.
He faced repeated political challenges and legal disputes and was eventually removed from office on February 14 2025, after a third motion of no confidence.
During Tsengwa’s time as mayor, Western Cape local government MEC Anton Bredell ordered a provincial government investigation into the appointment of political support staff at the municipality.
After his removal as mayor, Tsengwa resigned as a councillor on March 31 2025, shortly before ANC sanctions against him for unlawfully making political appointments were finalised.
The ANC subsequently suspended him for allegedly undermining party business.
But his political career was far from over.
Three months later, Tsengwa returned to the council after winning back his Ward 8 seat for the ANC in a by-election in June 2025.
Police have urged anyone with information that could assist the investigations into the murders to contact Sergeant Nobuntu Thundezwa on 082-522-1251.
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