Pretoria - Disgruntled members of the African National Congress in Atteridgeville were told on Tuesday to stop behaving like hooligans, but rather as members of an organisation which listened to their grievances, a senior party official said.
“We are here together with provincial chairperson Paul Mashatile and regional chairperson Kgosientso Ramokgopa. We came to listen to the community as well as members of the ANC. We have listened to the people and told them that ANC is a listening organisation,” ANC national executive committee member and Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi told reporters in the strife-riddled community, west of Pretoria.
Read: No ‘Sputla’, no vote, say ANC members
“They told us in the meeting that they are ANC members and not hooligans. We then told them to behave like members and not like hooligans. We told them that, and that they will be listened to,” he said.
Motsoaledi said that in the meeting around 33 people had spoken, with many raising grievances regarding the announcement of former cabinet minister Thoko Didiza as the ANC’s mayoral candidate for Tshwane for the August 3 local government polls.
Motsoaledi said the grievances had been noted and “we will see them later”.
Mashatile said the ANC has been calling for calm across Pretoria.
“We already have meetings planned for tomorrow (Wednesday) with all our branch leaders. We are meeting all our leaders of the zones. The meeting we have just had now (with Atteridgeville ANC members) was more like a community meeting. We want to deal with this matter,” said Mashatile.
He said the provincial leaders and Motsoaledi would be briefing ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe and other leaders regarding the meeting held in Atteridgeville.
In the heated meeting, ANC members repeatedly chanted “no Sputla, no vote”, sometimes interjecting as the party officials addressed them. Mayor and ANC regional chairperson Kgosientso “Sputla” Ramokgopa addressed residents in a packed community hall.
Addressing the ANC supportes, Ramokgopa called for peace.
“We have heard that things are not well at this home. I beg you humbly, please open up the streets and allow taxis to move again,” said Ramokgopa.
“Your lives have to continue. Please allow those who go to work to do so peacefully.”
The crowd interrupted him several times, chanting “no Sputla no vote”.
They booed in disapproval when Ramokgopa asked them to accept and support Didiza.
“We don’t want to see her here. Take her back,” shouted one woman.
Ramokgopa finished his speech but the crowd remained adamant that they did not want Didiza.
The outgoing mayor had been given a hero’s welcome when he arrived for the meeting flanked by Mashatile and Motsoaledi.
Gauteng Community Safety MEC Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane was booed when she attempted to address the crowd. She then asked all journalists to leave the building.
There was a heavy police presence inside the venue, with officers wielding shotguns standing between the ANC officials and the community members.
Violence has rocked Pretoria since Sunday, as news filtered in indicating that Didiza, would be named as the city’s mayoral candidate for the ANC, ahead of Ramokgopa.
Residents said they were not happy with Didiza and wanted Ramokgopa to remain in his position.
On Tuesday, huge boulders were placed on the usually busy WF Nkomo Street, leading into Atteridgeville. A delivery truck had been torched.
Hours earlier, a large police contingent, including members of the tactical response team, went into Atteridgeville, and unblocked the numerous roads littered with rubble and rubbish.
On Monday, three metro police officers had to run for their lives when they were attacked by the protesters.
Ramokgopa and his provincial ANC deputy chairperson Mapiti Matsena distanced themselves from the protests on Monday and condemned the violence. They called on residents to accept the mayoral candidacy and rally behind Didiza.
ANA