‘He was one of our own’: UDM suspects political killing after councillor’s murder

A United Democratic Movement (UDM) councillor, Luxolo Namette, was shot dead in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, on Saturday, 7 November 2026, amidst the ongoing vote-counting for local government elections. The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) is facilitating the vote-counting process, which has raised concerns within the party about the possibility of a politically motivated killing.

Upon discovering Namette's body, the South African Police Service (SAPS) launched an investigation into his murder. Namette was found dead at approximately 3:50pm on Umnulu Street in Motherwell, having suffered a gunshot wound to the head. The Motherwell police have opened a murder case and are currently working to identify those responsible for the shooting. However, the motive behind the killing has not been established as the investigation is still in its early stages.

The UDM has condemned the killing, expressing shock and sorrow over the loss of a valued councillor. Party Secretary-General Bulelani Bobotyane described the incident as "tragic" and noted that it has cast a "dark shadow" over the party's involvement in the municipal elections. Bobotyane emphasized that Namette was "one of our own" and his murder has deeply shaken the UDM.

Furthermore, the UDM raised the possibility that Namette's killing could be politically motivated. The party stated that they cannot rule out the possibility that Namette was targeted due to his political activities or his role as a public representative. As a result, the UDM has referred the matter to the police's political killings task team (PKTT) and urged the police to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the murder.

The party emphasized that political differences should never be resolved through violence, and no public representative should fear for their life because of their political affiliation or duties to their community.