ANCYL says Tshwane riots ‘instigated by hell-bent‚ rented mob of Ramokgopa supporters’
The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL)‚ ANC Women's League‚ ANC Veterans' League‚ Congress of South African Trade Unions‚ South African Communist Party and the South African National Civic Organisation had invited members of the media to the event‚ to be held at 10am on Tuesday morning.This was to discuss issues surrounding the violence that has erupted in the capital following the announcement of the ANC Tshwane mayoral candidate Thoko Didiza. In a statement‚ the ANCYL’s deputy chairperson‚ Ezra Letsoalo‚ said the event had been‚ “deferred due to some unforeseen circumstances beyond our control”.Speaking to TMG Digital‚ Letsoalo said the press conference could not continue as planned because its Pretoria venue had been barricaded. He added that the organisers did not want to place journalists in any danger.‘We will burn the whole of Pretoria if needs be’The violent fallout over the announcement of the African National Congress (ANC) mayoral candidate for Tshwane turned large parts of townships in the area into no-go zones on Tuesday morning.“The situation is tense. [It's] safe to say that it has been instigated by those who are closely associated with the [outgoing] mayor Sputla Ramokgopa to present a picture that [all] the residents [of Tshwane] do not want Thoko Didiza‚ whilst the contrary is true.“The is a classic case of people wanting to hold power by all means necessary – when all things are considered it amounts to desperation.“This is a rented mob who is hell-bent on undermining [the] democratic processes of the ANC‚” Letsoalo said.Protests in Tshwane turned violent on Monday night with the burning of at least 20 buses.On Tuesday morning‚ police officers were called in from other areas to quell the violence that has seen vehicles being torched‚ businesses ransacked and roads blocked in Atteridgeville‚ Hammanskraal‚ Mamelodi and Garankuwa.Letsoalo said he and others were on their way to Luthuli House in Johannesburg on Tuesday morning to discuss the situation in Tshwane with the ANC's leadership.TMG Digital..
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