Pretoria erupts as #Didiza gets nod

Published Jun 21, 2016

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Kennedy Mudzuli and Sakhile Ndlazi

Pretoria - At least 20 buses were reportedly burnt and cars damaged as angry protesters took to the streets in Extension 5, Mamelodi East, on Monday.

It is believed the protesters are disgruntled ANC members unhappy with the party’s decision to impose MP Thoko Didiza as mayoral candidate for the city for the August 3 local poll.

Evidently, people who torched the buses are demanding that mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa be reinstated as candidate.

Tensions were high and the mood very tense as people fled for cover while police tried desperately to disperse the crowds on Monday night.

A bystander told the Pretoria News that the angry ANC members vowed to make Tshwane “ungovernable” if Ramokgopa was not given the mayoral job.

Sources further added that their biggest challenge was that the ANC had factions that tended to ignore their protests. They say they did the same in 2011 elections with the election of some councillors.

Protesters said they felt as if the mayoral decision did not reflect what the people wanted and that they were not consulted about it.

“The party (ANC) always claims that they are for the people but they don’t care about what we say,” said one of the protesters.

Residents watched on as the buses were engulfed in huge flames. Traffic was disrupted and the road was barricaded.

Dark plumes of smoke filled the sky as tyres were set alight. Some shop owners nearby closed their premises.

A bakkie carrying recycled material was emptied of its contents on the busy Tsamaya Road.

“The community is trying to draw their attention so that they can come and address these problems. They should put Sputla (Ramokgopa back on the seat if they want peace,” said a resident.

Meanwhile ANC alliance partners in the capital city have accepted the appointment of Didiza as mayoral candidate, but some of the branches indicated they did not support the decision.

The SACP, Cosatu, Sanco, ANC Women’s League, ANC Youth League and ANC Veterans League cancelled their joint media briefing on Monday afternoon after learning of defiant branch leaders who were denouncing the appointment of Didiza.

The organisations, however, said they warmly welcomed the mayoral candidate in a statement that had been prepared for the briefing.

“Didiza is a daughter of Tshwane and child of the ANC. She is a member of the ANC in Tshwane from Ward 91 in Metsweding Zone and has served in the structures of the ANC in the branch and zone,” the statement read.

“It is our objective that the decision to put up the named of Didiza is an objective aimed at harmonising the differences that characterised the discourse of the mayorship of the city.

“We are convinced she is a tried and tested cadre of the organisation who is a seasoned administrator with impeccable credentials.”

In announcing Didiza as mayoral candidate, ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte said the provincial executive committee was not convinced about the candidates who had been proposed by the region.

It then made a representation to the national executive committee and a meeting was held at which Didiza was presented to the region for consideration as ANC mayoral candidate for the capital. The intervention and name were unanimously accepted by the region, Duarte said.

But hours after Duarte’s announcement, angry members unhappy with the choice of mayoral candidate went on a rampage near Court Classique Boutique hotel in Arcadia. They overturned a metro police car near the hotel, where some of the branch leaders were to address the media on their disapproval of Didiza’s appointment.

Before the briefing could begin, an estimated 100 people wielding rocks and sticks arrived and started chanting, turning to the city police car that was on routine patrol near the intersection of Francis Baard and Beckett streets, overturning it. This caused major traffic disruptions.

The members who had convened the briefing claimed they represented at least 75% of the branches and wanted Ramokgopa to be retained as mayoral candidate.

Duarte said: “We are confident that once elected by the people of Tshwane, she will continue to build on the solid foundation laid by incumbent Kgosientso Ramokgopa and his collective.”

Duarte said the ANC expressed its gratitude to Ramokgopa and had no doubt that he would not be lost to the organisation. She called for calm and discipline.

“We will report to our branches on this decision and for them to rally behind the resolution. The robust nature of our candidate selection process provides an opportunity for members to voice their displeasure.

“Once decisions are taken, it is ultimately incumbent on all our members to close ranks and in this case support and rally behind Didiza and all our councillor candidates.”

In a show of unity, both Ramokgopa and his ANC regional deputy head Mapiti Matsena, as well as other members of the regional executive committee, attended the briefing at Luthuli House.

Matsena had been nominated by the region for mayoral candidate and tops the proportional representation list for the elections.

The ANC Gauteng welcomed Didiza and commended Ramokogopa, as well as the regional leadership, for the support of her candidacy. It condemned the minority that used violence to undermine a process designed to find an amicable solution.

The alliance partners had also slammed the violence that erupted at the events centre in the city on Sunday, where the news of Didiza’s appointment was to be announced to members. The violence, they said, were orchestrated by thugs masquerading as branch leaders.

Political analyst Daniel Silke said appointing a compromise candidate with about six weeks to go before the August 3 elections was a risky move by the ANC, but showed deep concern about its ability to retain control of the capital city.

He said unless conflicting factions buried the hatchet, the ANC could risk having a mayoral candidate who did not enjoy the support of all the structures. “The ANC should be fighting against the opposition, not within itself, as this could dampen members’ enthusiasm to campaign for the party,” Silke added.

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