Roughed-up Zille wants escort

2006-04-23 22:20

Rajaa Azzakani

Cape Town - Cape Town mayor Helen Zille will demand police protection before she goes into townships again - and she's laying charges after being attacked at a meeting.

She was hit on the head and had several bruises on her body after being attacked at a community meeting in Crossroads at the weekend.

Zille has laid a charge of assault after African National Congress supporters hurled chairs at her and threatened her with a knife on Saturday.

The ANC said although the organisation was against violence, the incident must be read in context.

Western Cape ANC chairman James Ngculu accused Zille of heightening tensions in Crossroads, SABC news reported on Sunday.

Ncgulu says Zille went to the area - not to apologise for the burning of an ANC councillor's home - but to provoke the inhabitants.

According to the SABC report, Zille dismissed Ngculu's allegations as ludicrous, saying that she had been working in the community for 25 years to promote non-violence and democracy and would continue to do so.

Must have protection

However, this and previous incidents during which she was threatened by ANC supporters since she had become mayor, had forced her to reconsider her own safety while attending public meetings.

"In the past, I got into my car and drove to the townships.

"In future, I won't do that without police protection," said Zille.

Zille said that as Charles Khanku, local chair of the South African National Civics Organisation (Sanco) wanted to open the meeting, a man stood up from among the ANC supporters and moved towards the stage with a chair in his hands.

Zille said: "The man said he was one of the striking security guards and that I was doing nothing to help them. He hurled his chair at the people on stage.

"The other ANC supporters also stood up threateningly and toyi-toyied towards the stage with raised chairs. They hurled the chairs at us."

Security guards indicated that Zille should leave the hall, and as she was doing so, a chair hit her on the head.

Max Ozinsky, deputy secretary for the ANC in the Western Cape, said Zille had visited the area without telling the ANC councillor, Elese Depoutch, or the party's leadership about it.

"She has been working in the area for the past six or seven years, and she has always supported those who disrupted the ANC meetings," said Ozinsky.

Has never asked anybody's permission

Zille said although she had left a message for the ANC councillor, she did not need anybody's permission to visit black communities.

"It's my constitutional right. I have been working in these communities for the past 25 years and I am trying to help these people to solve their problems. I have never asked anybody's permission.

During the years of apartheid the police tried to stop me, and now it's the ANC."

- Die Burger