Tributes continue to pour in following the brutal murder of OR Tambo district municipality councillor Fundisile Ranai.
The 49-year-old Ranai, who also serverd as ward councillor for Ingquza Hill municipality, was murdered along with his 18-year-old son, Siyolise, when two gunmen entered their home in Lusikisiki on Friday evening and gunned them down.
Ranai was declared dead at the St Elizabeth Hospital in Lusikisiki while Siyolise succumbed to his injuries at a relative’s home. He sustained two gunshot wounds to his chest but still managed to escape.
Zolile Williams, the MEC for cooperative governance and traditional affairs, condemned the attack, saying it is a “dastard act of callous shooting of councillors”.
“We are angry at the spate of senseless killing of councillors in the province. This must come to an end,” said Williams.
“This abhorrent incident takes place a week after yet another OR Tambo district municipality councillor from Mhlontlo local municipality passed away under mysterious circumstances. The modus operandi of the shooting is the same, the thugs pounce on the councillors while at home unsuspecting.”
Williams aske the community to work with the police and provide information that can lead to the arrest of the gunmen.
The SACP in Eastern Cape said Ranai was one of its outstanding and committed members. The party’s spokesperson in the province, Siyabonga Mdodi, said: “The party wishes to express its heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones.
“We also wish to extend our gratitude to his family for his life and contributions towards changing the lives of the people of our country.”
Ingquza Hill council speaker Sbongile Vatsha said the council is devastated and mourning the double murder. “We are saddened and shocked by this incident, especially the murder of his son, because if this has to do with politics, he didn’t have any role there,” said Vatsha.
Ranai was elected in the council as the councillor for ward 15 in 2016, and was re-elected in November 2021. He was then deployed to represent Ingquza Hill at OR Tambo district council where he chaired the district’s oversight committee on the mayor and legislature.
He was also instrumental in setting up the community policing forums and street committees to take greater responsibility for community safety.
Eastern cape police spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana said no arrest has been made. He urged the community to work with the police as they try to crack the case.
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