“It shouldn’t happen. We are appealing for calm in the City of Tshwane”, TMPD spokesman Isaac Mahamba told African News Agency. Protests continued on Tuesday morning.
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The tunnel remained closed to traffic and a large crowd of protesters gathered a few metres away, blocking the usually busy Bremer.
Police helicopters hover above black smoke billowing from a burning bakery truck and a bus, streets have been barricaded, motorists are being intimidated and hostilities escalate.
ANC members are protesting in various townships in Tshwane to force the party to change its decision to name Thoko Didiza as its mayoral candidate and push aside Kgosientso Ramokgopa.
“We haven’t dispatched any members of the ANC to do such things”, said regional ANC’s spokesman Tebogo Joala.
The government on Tuesday condemned the outbreak of violence in the capital city, which has resulted in major destruction of property.
ANC’s Deputy Secretary-General Jessie Duarte said the party member had died after being shot while attending the meeting called to announce the party’s candidate for mayor in Tshwane municipality where Pretoria is located.
Late on Monday the Democratic Alliance (DA) called for calm.
It comes after the ANC yesterday confirmed that former Public Works minister Thoko Didiza as the party’s Tshwane mayoral candidate for the upcoming election.
The DA condemns the factions within the ANC that are fanning the flames of violence.
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“The ANC will use its own internal process to deal with those who have been found to be doing this”, he said.
