Johannesburg - Footage capturing the assault of a Black First Land First (BLF) member by ANC members has been handed over to the South African Police Service (SAPS), the City of Joburg said on Tuesday.
On Monday, numerous scuffles broke out outside the ANC's headquarters after supporters of President Jacob Zuma tried to lead a protest against his possible recall from office
Members of the BLF movement, who want Zuma to be allowed to serve out his term as State president until 2019, were greeted by ANC supporters who chased them away, and in the process attacked BLF members as they were getting off the truck transporting them.
Video footage and images emerged of a woman being severely assaulted by a man identified as Thabiso Setona, the ANC branch secretary of ward 62.
The footage and images have since sparked outrage from the public, with calls for action to be taken against Setona.
Setona has since handed himself over to the Joburg Central police station, where he was charged with assault, and has been suspended by the Joburg region’s working committee.
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The City of Joburg's MMC for Public Safety Michael Sun in a statement expressed shock over the assault.
"It must be stated up front that there was no permission granted by the Joint Operations Committee (JOC) in the City of Johannesburg for the gathering / protest actions which took place.
"It is unacceptable that these protesters appeared to have been geared up for violence from the start as weapons were seen to be used."
Sun added that after being contacted by community members with information on the assault, a decision was taken to submit it to SAPS for further investigation.
"No matter what the reason for a protest might be, protestors must never turn into thugs and use means of violence and destruction to support their cause," Sun said.