Pretoria - The protests that have led to the deadly violence in Tshwane had nothing to do with the appointment of Thoko Didiza as the ANC's mayoral candidate.
Instead, they were instigated by people desperate to preserve their government jobs and tenders.
ANC national executive committee member Aaron Motsoaledi made this assertion on Thursday, in what was a suggestion that patronage was at the heart of the fiery protests that have resulted in the burning of vehicles, looting of shops and the deaths of five people.
“Using comrade Thoko’s name was just a smokescreen and mirrors,” said Motsoaledi, who is the health minister.
He was responding to media questions that ANC members did not want Didiza at the helm of the City of Tshwane and South Africa’s capital city.
This was as the ANC in Gauteng revealed its mayors for the country’s economic hub.
Quizzed about his statements, Motsoaledi explained further. “I did not say comrade Kgosientso Ramokgopa was dishing out jobs and tenders to these people, but they used the nomination of comrade Didiza to instil fear in the people. But the fear was more about them losing jobs and tenders.”
Motsoaledi’s views were backed by the Gauteng ANC provincial leadership.
In various media platforms, some Tshwane residents said they would not accept an imposed person as a mayor. They also claimed that once in power, Didiza would recruit senior officials from KwaZulu-Natal, her original home province, to occupy senior positions in Tshwane.
Motsoaledi was adamant that the tribal allegations were foreign to the ANC and against the party’s founding policies.
“These allegations are like stabbing the ANC in the heart. The first three Gauteng premiers, starting from Tokyo Sexwale, Mathole Motshekga and Mbhazima Shilowa, did not originally come from Gauteng, but nothing was said about it.
“All three of them came from Limpopo. Even the incumbent premier, David Makhura, comes from Bochum in Limpopo,” Motsoaledi pointed out.
As Motsoaledi spoke, Didiza remained calm, seemingly unperturbed by the storm around her appointment. She then broke her silence over the furore, and sought to remind her detractors that she too was one of them.
“I am not a foreigner to Tshwane; I’m a resident of Tshwane. I don’t feel foreign, and therefore there’s no way I can feel aggrieved,” said Didiza, who served in both Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki’s cabinets, but quit when the latter was axed in 2008.
“Obviously in public office, when people have got some little issues, sometimes they would say things that are out of turn.
“But one of the functions of leadership is being able to rise above those. These are the communities one will have to work with continuously, and together with them, we will make Tshwane a better metro for our province and for our country.”
Didiza said the violence that followed her appointment was not a reflection of the residents of Tshwane. “I therefore don’t feel in any way alienated. I feel part of that community.
“What is interesting, I think for me, is that I come into the city, or rather into a metro, where we have already had many successes,” she said, adding that she looked forward to working closely with the community.
Didiza even spelt out some of her immediate plans, citing broadening access of the local bus rapid transit system, A re Yeng, to all communities and to improve the road infrastructure.
While she has served in senior positions, she pointed out that the mayoral position would be a completely new task. “I have worked in various capacities but this one is new and a challenging one - a challenge I hope, working with the leadership of my organisation, we will be able to surmount,” she said.
Didiza then pleaded with residents to desist from acts of violence. “It is sad that our communities, no matter at what level of disgruntlement, can engage in acts of violence and destruction. And I hope, going forward, we will be able to find a way to work with the leadership in our communities.”
Pretoria News