Contract killings are escalating in South Africa, especially in the volatile province of KwaZulu-Natal, where trained assassins have been making their presence felt in the taxi industry, across the political spectrum, over tenders and jobs in municipalities, and in other areas such as business, to settle disputes through the barrel of a gun.

On Saturday, 4 November, hundreds of mourners gathered to pay their last respects at the sombre and emotional funeral of Inkosi Siphamandla Khumalo (41), a popular chief of the Qomintaba clan in northern KwaZulu-Natal, and his wife Thuthukile. Khumalo had played leadership roles in various local traditional structures and the murders are believed to be linked to the positions of power he had held.

The couple died on 28 October when they were ambushed by unknown assassins while driving near Utrecht. Their four-year-old son survived. The killers are still at large.

These murders came less than two weeks after Police Minister Bheki Cele extolled the good work the police were doing in arresting those responsible for the numerous political killings in KwaZulu-Natal.

But the deaths continue. On Friday, 3 November, an acting senior manager in the eThekwini metro's water and logistics department was gunned down by unknown gunmen who ambushed him at his home in Mandeni on the north coast.

Contract killings are escalating in South Africa, especially in the volatile province of KwaZulu-Natal, where trained assassins have been making their presence felt in the taxi industry, across the political spectrum, over tenders and jobs in municipalities, and in other...