A former deputy mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay has been shot dead in Motherwell, in the Eastern Cape, in a killing his party fears may have been politically motivated.

Luxolo Namete, a United Democratic Movement (UDM) councillor, was killed on Saturday afternoon, 7 November 2026. Police said the body of a 45-year-old man was found in Umnulu Street, NU9, Motherwell, at about 3.50pm, with a gunshot wound to the head. A murder case has been opened and is being investigated by police in Motherwell.

Eastern Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana confirmed the discovery and said the suspects and motive remain under investigation, with further details to be released as the investigation progresses. The UDM said Namete was shot outside a barbershop in the area.

The party said the killing casts a dark shadow over the just-concluded municipal elections, in which the UDM secured three seats in Nelson Mandela Bay with 2.41 percent of the vote, according to the electoral commission's results dashboard. The UDM said it was concerned the killing could have been politically motivated and called for an urgent and thorough investigation. It said it would escalate the matter to the Political Killings Task Team and request that it receive specialised attention.

Namete began his political career in the UDM Youth Vanguard and went on to serve as chairperson of the municipality's Municipal Public Accounts Committee. He was elected deputy mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay on 7 June 2021.

Eastern Cape Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Vuyisile Ncata said police were leaving no stone unturned in the search for the suspect, and seasoned detectives would be assigned to the case.

[Source: thenational.co.za](https://thenational.co.za/news/2026-11-07-udm-councillor-shot-dead-in-nelson-mandela-bay/) | [Source: theprofiler.co.za](https://theprofiler.co.za/former-nelson-mandela-bay-deputy-mayor-luxolo-namete-shot-dead)