Special Issue on the Targeting of Local Officials: South Africa

While contestation for power takes place in South Africa at all levels of government – 80% of violence targeting government representatives between 2018 and 2022 was directed against local officials, and the KwaZulu-Natal province has been the epicenter. Amidst bleak economic conditions, the persistence of corruption, and the deterioration of support for the ruling ANC, violence targeting local officials is on the rise – and may continue to escalate.