Johannesurg – The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) has called for calm and the arrest of perpetrators of political killings and the violence that erupted Tshwane over the selection of African National Congress NEC member Thoko Didiza as mayoral candidate for the metro.
“Cosatu is calling for calm and an end to the ongoing political killings and the violence that is taking place throughout the country. We reject the sense of entitlement that is behind these political killings. No one deserves to be on the list of councillors and no one should be killed because his/her name is on a councillor lists,” said Cosatu spokesman Sizwe Pamla.
All ANC members were urged to rally behind those on the local government lists and campaign for the governing party, he added.
The ANC councillor nominations for the August 3 have been marred by violence at branch meeting and political killings. Some branches claimed the lists were manipulated and that their chosen candidates were removed from the lists. Several people were killed in the process, mostly in KwaZulu-Natal.
On Tuesday, roads were blocked, buses burnt out and shops looted in Tshwane townships such as Attridgeville, Mamelodi, GaRankuwa and Hammanskraal.
Pamla urged the police to arrest the perpetrators.
“We call on law enforcement agencies to work hard to stop the anarchy by arresting the perpetrators of violence. The ANC leadership needs to intervene and work with communities to identify the criminals that are vandalising properties and assassinating other people.”
African News Agency