Violence flared on Monday night as impoverished residents of Pretoria’s townships set light to vehicles after the African National Congress’ (ANC) national leadership named a candidate for mayor in the Tshwane municipality where the capital city is located who had not been not nominated by its regional branches.
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S outh African police said they shot dead two people on Tuesday, suspected of looting shops in Tshwane.
Police confirmed that two people had been killed overnight in Mamelodi‚ without providing details.
A Zimbabwean bus was torched and another stripped by protesters in Tshwane but that did not deter hard-pressed Zimbabwean cross-boarder traders from continuing to flock to South Africa despite the violence there. “We do not want them here‚” said one of the looters as she snatched a light bulb.
Several deaths attributed to tension between rival factions within the ANC have been reported around the country in the runup to the August elections.
According to the report, a source close to the situation with first-hand knowledge said a special unit was on standby to assist the police, but a final decision has not yet been made on whether or not to deploy the unit.
Analysts warned of more unrest in Gauteng province, which includes Pretoria and Johannesburg. ANC Secretary-General Gwede Mantashe described the rioters as criminals who should be arrested and said the party wouldn’t reverse Didiza’s nomination. “That some of these acts are being carried out under the guise of “defending democratic processes” is all the more shameful and incongruent with our democracy”, said the IEC in a statement.
The meeting was co-ordinated and chaired by a senior ANC official and attended by branch leaders and ward councillors and candidates for the August 3 elections.
ANC spokesperson for Tshwane Tebogo Joala has urged party supporters to accept candidates that were chosen to represent the liberation movement in the forthcoming 2016 Municipal elections.
Two people have died and more than 50 have been arrested amid rioting and looting on the outskirts of South Africa’s capital city of Pretoria. Shop owners were left with no choice but to take their stock and flee.
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The violence has so far caused millions in damage, including the torching of 19 busses, while countless residents of Tshwane are captives in their communities, unable to get to work and school. “Nevertheless, we are increasingly concerned about the politically motivated violent unrest”.
