ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe has criticised disruptions at a Youth Day rally in Port Elizabeth, in the Eastern Cape at the weekend, according to a report on Monday.
“They disrupted in Port Elizabeth... again, it is a question of mistaken tactics,” Mantashe said at a Young Communist League rally in Limpopo.
“When you use tactics of trying to disrupt and putting pressure... you are not putting pressure. You are actually destroying your own case,” Mantashe was quoted as saying on SABC radio news.
On Saturday, protests erupted outside the Wolfson Stadium in Port Elizabeth, apparently by disgruntled residents who were not informed about the event.
The police had to intervene as protesters burnt tyres and barricaded roads.
President Jacob Zuma was initially scheduled to speak at the stadium to celebrate Youth Day on Saturday.
However, he pulled out to attend the G20 meeting in Mexico, which started on Monday.
Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane addressed the crowd instead, saying that young people were being exploited to take part in service delivery protests.
He called on “young people to resist this exploitation and focus on their education and uplifting their lives.” – Sapa