JOHANNESBURG — South Africa’s municipal election season has been deadly for candidates and party activists, with more than 12 killed ahead of Wednesday’s vote.

National police have determined it a serious enough problem to create a task force to investigate the deaths, most of them occurring in eastern KwaZulu-Natal province.

One motivation behind the killings is the chance of a steady job as a councilor in a country where more than 25 percent of people are unemployed, said Gareth Newham, head of the governance, crime, and justice division of the local Institute for Security Studies.

‘‘These are people who go from literally being unemployed to suddenly being able to afford a much better lifestyle. So there is intense competition for those positions,’’ Newham said. Even the lowest-grade part-time councilor was making up to $1,110 a month last year. The posts also come with the chance to control local resources and patronage.

Newham said another factor in the recent killings is the relative impunity of such attacks in the past. ‘‘Ninety percent of the time, people are getting away with it. It’s low-risk,’’ he said.

The African National Congress party, which has ruled South Africa since the first all-race elections 22 years ago, faces a serious challenge in some of the country’s most important cities. Those include the largest city, Johannesburg; the Tshwane metro area around the capital, Pretoria; and even the eastern coastal municipality named after the ANC’s star, Nelson Mandela Bay.

Associated Press