Johannesburg - The DA in Gauteng has demanded that Gauteng Premier David Makhura must initiate an investigation into the violence that broke out during the Tembisa service delivery strikes.
"Unfortunately, this peaceful protest was hijacked by well-organised elements who stoked violence that led to the loss of precious lives and public property. Property can be rebuilt but the lost lives cannot be recovered,” said the DA’s Fred Nel.
The DA in Gauteng said it was shocked at the violence that saw four people die and that the loss of life and social infrastructure is unacceptable in a democratic society.
The opposition party said the Tembisa Community Forum raised legitimate service delivery concerns with the political leadership and they planned a peaceful protest to highlight these concerns.
“Unfortunately, this peaceful protest was hijacked by well-organised elements who stoked violence that led to the loss of precious lives and public property. Property can be rebuilt but the lost lives cannot be recovered. We, therefore, demand that Premier Makhura must initiate an investigation into the well-organised rogue elements that stoked the fires of violence in Ekurhuleni without delay. These thugs need to be brought to book,” the DA said.
The party added that it applauded the peaceful and rational way the Tembisa Community Forum engaged Ekurhuleni Mayor Tania Campbell on Tuesday night.
“This approach is conducive to constructive discussions and the real possibility of finding each other and improving service delivery. The DA will continue to put pressure on Premier Makhura to bring those who stoked the violence to book while supporting peace-loving civil organisations that want to partner with us in resolving service delivery problems,” the DA said.
The Star