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CAPE TOWN, July 21 (Xinhua) -- The South African government on Thursday voiced grave concern over the killings of South Africans who have been nominated by their parties as candidates for the upcoming local government elections.
The government "condemns this in the strongest terms" and call for peace and tolerance, the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs said in a statement.
A number of politicians have been killed in the run-up to the elections, scheduled for August 3.
"Government calls on all parties particularly in KwaZulu-Natal to ensure that the killings come to a stop and to cooperate with the political and law enforcement structures in place in the province and who are already hard at work to root out this evil", said Des Van Rooyen, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
The government calls on all political parties and independent candidates to uphold the Electoral Code of Conduct, Van Rooyen said.
He said the government will continue to ensure that the local government elections environment is free, fair and peaceful. Enditem
