Police said there was no transparent reason for the killing. South African media reported that more than 20 shots were fired, but police did not verify those details.
Nkohla, who according to 40 local media, was talking to other people living in shacks and other informal structures near the backyard when he fired.
He was an elected local councillor for the ruling African National Congress party, but later joined many other political parties and continued to paint as a netpainting activist for the poor after leaving politics last year.
180 DEAD, NEARLY 2,000 WOUNDED BY SUDAN CONFLICT
A former man who rose to fame in South Africa for throwing human excrement in public protests against living conditions in the country has been shot dead. (Fox News)
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He was best known for being part of an organization that dumped human feces in front of Cape Town International Airport in 2013. The organization said it was protesting against city authorities over living conditions in some of the city’s neighboring municipalities, where a lack of basic sanitation facilities meant others had to rely on portable toilets. Nkohla was also part of an organization that dumped feces outdoors in the Cape Town legislature building.
Some South African media have dubbed him “Poop-Thrower-in-Chief,” but his excessive moves have highlighted the deep frustrations of millions of other people living in poverty in a country notorious for its glaring inequality.
Upon leaving politics last year, Nkohla said in a statement that he would always work to help disadvantaged communities.
“I will never abandon you, I will abandon your son, you, my people,” he said.