Loyiso Nkohla, a former ANC leader and renowned community activist, was gunned down in broad daylight in Philippi, Cape Town, on Monday.
Loyiso Nkohla killed inside Philippi police station
As reported by the Daily Maverick, the leader of the Ses’khona People’s Movement (SPM) was inside the Philippi mobile police station yard, when several armed men ambushed him.
At this stage of the investigation, the motive for the attack has yet to be determined.
While details remain sketchy, speculation suggests Nkohla was about to lead a community meeting inside the mobile police station when he was riddled with more than 25 rounds of ammunition, killing him instantly.
Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi confirmed a team of detectives has been assigned to Nkohla’s homicide, which includes three attempted murders.
“The victim was declared deceased on the scene by the medical personnel. Reports suggested that two females and one male who also sustained injuries were transported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment with private transport. The unknown suspects fled the scene and are yet to be arrested.” Swartbooi revealed.
At the time of his death, Nkohla was at the forefront of finding a permanent solution for land invaders who, for several years, had occupied the railway line between Philippi and Nyanga train stations.
The future of the SPM land invaders remains in doubt as the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) looks to restore train services in Cape Town’s central line that runs from Khayelitsha’s periphery to Netreg.
Nkohla’s first brush with political clout came in 2013 when he and former ANC councillor Andile Lili led a group of protesters who dumped faeces at the Cape Town International Airport to demonstrate Khayelitsha residents’ frustrations with inadequate sanitation in the township.
Nkohla was also charged with violating the Civil Aviation Act after he and several comrades were caught on camera dumping poop at the Cape Town International Airport
The unconventional picket and several other behavioural issues brought Nkohla into disrepute with the ANC in the Western Cape and, eventually, in 2014, he was expelled from the party.
From there onward, the community activist went on to form the Land Party but quit in May 2019.
The renowned activist also had brief stints serving the DA and the Patriotic Alliance (PA).
Following his failure to be elected to the council in the 2021 local government elections, Nkohla retired from politics and shifted his focus toward community activism.
His killers are still at large and police are still at a loss with determining the motive behind his brazen murder.