Cii Radio| Ayesha Ismail|21 June 2016| 15 Ramadaan 1437
Residents of Tshwane townships have continued to protest over the ANC’s decision to name Thoko Didiza as the party’s mayoral candidate. Residents took to the streets, burning tyres and vehicles, calling for current mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa to remain the mayoral candidate.
Images of protesters allegedly looting in Atteridgeville are circulating on social media. Reports show that looting of foreign-owned shops in Atteridgeville is also taking place as well as several buses being set alight in Mamelodi, east of Pretoria. It is also claimed that imminent bus fare increases at the beginning of the month is one reason Mamelodi residents torched buses.
Journalists continue to be threatened by protesters during the Tshwane protests.
An ANC branch leader in Tshwane says more protests are expected after the party named Thoko Didiza as its mayoral candidate, pushing aside “people’s mayor” Kgosientso Ramokgopa, adding that protests had spread to Mamelodi, Hammanskraal, Winterveldt, and Soshanguve
Meanwhile, The City of Tshwane’s mayor, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has called on residents of townships in the municipality to restore calm and to refrain from acts of vandalism and destruction of property.
Ramokgopa said, “There is no amount of grievance of displeasure that can begin to merit such an action.”
“If this is related to the mayoral candidate or even if it’s related to expected fare increases, we had announced ourselves as the leadership of the ANC in the region that we have accepted the decision of the national executive committee to deploy comrade Thoko Didiza as a mayoral candidate here in the city of Tshwane. She has got impeccable credentials,” adds Ramokgopa.
Police have said that cases of murder, malicious damage to property and intimidation have been opened..
Gauteng Provincial Commissioner General Deliwe De Lange said anyone found committing a crime would be arrested immediately.
The police, through the SAPS Twitter feed, said all members, including those on rest days, had been mobilised to assist in policing in Tshwane.
De Lange said a joint operations centre to manage policing in Tshwane had been opened.
Source – News24|Sabc news| Fin 24
Photo Credit – News 24
