ANC rejects DA violence claims

2012-08-06 10:33

Western Cape Premier Helen Zille lays charges at a police station in Cape Town against threats by the ANC's Youth League and other organisations to make the city and Western Cape ungovernable. (Nardus Engelbrecht, Sapa)

Cape Town - The pinning of service delivery violence on the ANC and its youth league in the Western Cape is a publicity stunt, the party said on Monday.

"It is typical of the Democratic Alliance to shift the focus away from the real issues at the root of growing dissatisfaction with inferior service delivery in poor areas," said African National Congress Western Cape secretary Songezo Mjongile.

"The ANC condemns all violence and damage to public and private property, as it has done repeatedly. The ANC stands for democratic means to raise issues and protest concerns."

Service delivery protests

Mjongile said issues would be resolved only when the DA and Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille met with residents.

Service delivery protests rocked the Cape Peninsula last week.

A bus was torched in Phillipi by protesting residents last Monday.

In the latest incident, a Golden Arrow bus was stoned in Khayelitsha on Friday.

The driver lost control of the bus during the attack, and it crashed through a road barrier and ploughed into shacks, killing the driver Sandile Hoko.

Five people, including a child, were injured.

Threats to make Western Cape 'ungovernable'

On Sunday, Western Cape Premier Helen Zille and De Lille said the attack followed threats by the ANCYL to make Cape Town "ungovernable" and to "bring Cape Town to its knees".

The ANCYL had threatened to prevent "any and all Golden Arrow buses and taxis from operating".

They said the ANCYL should be held accountable for this sequence of events.

A R50 000 reward was offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

Criminal charges of intimidation were laid against the ANCYL by the city and province on Wednesday.

"We await the outcome of the investigation of the criminal charges we have laid against the ANCYL and will closely monitor any other action that follows from this investigation," they said.

- SAPA