Didiza's 'poisoned chalice'

The ANC's Tshwane mayoral candidate Thoko Didiza File pcture: Bruce Venter

The ANC's Tshwane mayoral candidate Thoko Didiza File pcture: Bruce Venter

Published Jun 21, 2016

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Johannesburg - The ANC has put a “poisoned chalice” in the hands of mayoral candidate Thoko Didiza, says political analyst Lesiba Teffo, who believes the decision to impose Didiza as its Tshwane mayoral candidate has caused the party irretrievable damage.

“Didiza is a very well-respected and honourable (person) who deserved a cabinet position and who should even be considered for president.

“She is respected by all parties in Parliament and does not deserve being handed this,” he said.

What had happened to the incumbent mayor, Kgosientso Ramokgopa, was a travesty, he said.

“He is seen as a person who everyone should aspire to becoming. He has not been asked to leave the position because of non-delivery or for not doing his job properly,” he said.

Politics had always been about the bottom-up process, he said.

“It is the people who shall inform government and who shall inform the leadership. Tshwane would not be burning if the people’s voices had been listened to,” he said.

Gareth Newham from the Institute of Security Studies said it was worrying to see that these protests related directly to politics.

“It is going to take a lot of time for the ANC to restore unity and put the elections back on track. This violence has taken away the ability of the ANC to canvass for votes in Tshwane and to mobilise the vote in their favour. It is affecting people on a daily basis now with them not being able to get to work or to write exams. This will light the fuse for opposition parties,” he said.

The DA has called for calm, with Motheo Mtimkulu, media manager for the Tshwane mayoral campaign, saying: “Tshwane burns as a result of a party at war with itself.

“That war has now spilt onto our streets, placing the people of Tshwane at risk.

“This violence is a symptom of ANC factionalism and infighting after President Zuma and Luthuli House defied the local ANC by imposing an outsider to run for the mayor of the capital. The collateral damage in this battle for power are the people of Tshwane,” he said.

ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte on Monday warned dissidents not to rebel.

“The ANC condemns the heinous acts in the strongest terms possible and will act decisively where it is proved that any of our members were responsible for the shooting. We also call on the law enforcement agencies to act with no fear or favour to bring the perpetrators of this criminal act to book,” she said. - Additional reporting by Kennedy Mudzuli and Baldwin Ndaba

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