Last night I saw quite a shocking item on TV which really made me sit up. It was not given too much coverage, but I think this could be very important.

The Chairman of the Friends of Jacob Zuma Trust was assassinated in Soweto yesterday. He is pictured below.

He was apparently walking down a road in Soweto to a carwash when 3 gunmen suddenly appeared and fired 8 rounds into him. Nothing on him was stolen.

This is the sidewalk car wash he was going to.

Now what is interesting me, is whether we are seeing the first stages of more violence between Zuma and Mbeki?

Firstly, the Police are not commenting on this. But the basic facts of this bear a tremendous similarity to a number of other broad-daylight assassinations which have taken place in Johannesburg in the last year.

I think this is an outright assassination from the camp led by President Mbeki. But, the increasing stresses are obvious as Jacob Zuma’s corruption trial hots up. It appears to me, that the Mbeki camp may be making a strike against Zuma because Zuma’s support base is so strong and its growing – hence the assassination of the man running the whole campaign to get grass roots financial support for Zuma.

It may also show the levels of desperation which the Mbeki camp are reaching. I had it in mind to discuss the possibility of the CIA wanting Jacob Zuma himself assassinated, but until now I’ve not discussed that possibility. But perhaps this is related.