ANC chief whip links Luthuli fire, power sabotage to elections

There was a possibility the Johannesburg City Power sabotage and an alleged arson attack on Luthuli House were an attempt to destabilise the country prior to next year's general elections, ANC Chief Whip Stone Sizani said.

"Just in case those people who are involved in this matter are connected and know each other, we urge the police to make sure these matters are put in control before the elections so that nobody in South Africa should bring us back to those days where people are burning when they go to bed because saboteurs are around," he said at a media briefing in Parliament.

Several substations were sabotaged during a strike by City Power workers last week, which was of great concern to the African National Congress in Parliament.

"We are happy to hear that the police are going to start an investigation on the allegations of sabotage. We are not pointing fingers at unions or even factions among unions," Sizani said.

"We are specifically saying as public representatives in Parliament it is an incumbent issue on the executive management of City Power to ensure that electricity is not disrupted and they have to make sure they protect lives, they protect the economy and they protect the reputation of Johannesburg and South Africa in this regard."

It was now up to the country's law enforcement agencies to "catch the culprits".

"These matters are happening in Johannesburg, where Luthuli House was nearly burnt down,... and also not related to that matter, cars were burned in some unrelated activity in Johannesburg by people who are really bent on disrupting and destabilising the environment there," said Sizani.

He would not directly answer questions on whether he thought there was a third force behind the incidents, but said there was a possibility they were linked to next year's elections.

"If they are connected, then they must really be dealt with very seriously because the reputation of South African elections cannot be tarnished by few individual who may be disgruntled for one reason or another."