Former Knysna mayor and ANC councillor Aubrey Tsengwa was shot dead on Wednesday night in what is expected to spark a police investigation into the motive behind the killing.
News24 understands that Tsengwa was attacked while on his way home on Wednesday.
The gunmen fled the scene and had not been identified.
The circumstances leading up to the shooting were not immediately known, and no motive had been confirmed at the time.
ANC Western Cape spokesperson Sifiso Mtsweni confirmed Tsengwa’s death to News24 but said the party was still awaiting details from his family.
Tsengwa was a sitting ANC councillor for Ward 8 before he resigned from the council in March 2025.
He had previously served as mayor of Knysna from August 2022, but his time in office was marked by political instability and repeated changes in the municipality’s political leadership.
Tsengwa was removed as mayor in February 2025 after a motion of no confidence.
His killing adds another serious development to Knysna’s turbulent political environment, which has seen shifting coalitions, leadership changes and council instability in recent years.
While details around Wednesday night’s shooting remain limited, the attack on a former mayor and councillor is likely to raise concern within political circles in the Western Cape.
Tsengwa was one of the ANC’s known local government figures in the Garden Route town and had played a central role in Knysna politics during a volatile period for the municipality.
He took office as mayor in August 2022, but his administration faced constant political pressure as competing parties and factions battled for control of the council.
By February 2025, Tsengwa was removed through a motion of no confidence. A month later, in March 2025, he resigned as the Ward 8 councillor.
The reasons behind his killing have not yet been established.
Police are expected to investigate whether the shooting was politically motivated, linked to a personal matter, or the result of another dispute. However, at this stage, no evidence has been made public pointing to a motive.
The gunmen’s escape from the scene means investigators will likely focus on witness accounts, CCTV footage, ballistic evidence and Tsengwa’s movements before the attack.
The ANC in the Western Cape said it was still waiting for further information from Tsengwa’s family before commenting in more detail.
Mtsweni’s confirmation of his death marked the first formal acknowledgement from the party, but the circumstances remained unclear.
Tsengwa’s death comes at a time when political killings and targeted attacks on public representatives remain a concern in parts of South Africa.
Although Knysna is not usually associated with the same levels of political violence seen in some other provinces, the murder of a former mayor will place pressure on law enforcement to move quickly.
For residents of Knysna, Tsengwa was not only a former mayor but a familiar figure in local government, particularly in Ward 8 and within the ANC’s regional structures.
His period as mayor coincided with difficult debates over governance, service delivery and political control of the municipality.
The motion of no confidence that removed him from office in February 2025 formed part of a broader pattern of instability that has repeatedly affected the Knysna council.
After his removal and later resignation, Tsengwa’s political future appeared uncertain, but he remained a recognisable ANC figure in the area.
His killing on Wednesday night has now shifted attention from council politics to a murder investigation.
No arrests had been reported at the time of publication.
Police have not yet released further details on the number of gunmen involved, the location of the shooting, whether Tsengwa was alone when he was attacked, or whether any items were taken from him.
The ANC is expected to issue a fuller statement once it has received information from the family.
As investigators begin piecing together the final moments before Tsengwa was shot, questions will centre on who targeted him, why he was attacked, and whether the murder was planned.
For now, the confirmed facts are that the former Knysna mayor was shot dead on Wednesday night, the gunmen fled, and the motive remains unknown.
The matter is developing.
