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ANC pleads caution on suspected riot instigators

Thando Maeko and Hajra Omarjee

The ANC is cautiously dealing with the fallout from the unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, saying that law-enforcement agencies must take the lead and make arrests before it takes disciplinary action against any of its members who were involved.

While it might want to enforce discipline in its ranks, the governing party is wary that any internal action has the potential to deepen divisions in the party that played out after the jailing of former president Jacob Zuma earlier this month.

“We are being very cautious because we do not want to accuse people without evidence. We want the state to lead us. The state has capacity for proper investigations,” provincial secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli said.

“We will take action against members once they have been arrested.”

The unrest left more than 300 people dead and cost the economy an estimated R50bn. Though the dust has settled and calm has been restored to both Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, various marches are still being organised in Durban and Johannesburg by groups calling for the release of Zuma and the stepping down of ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa.

The party in both provinces has distanced itself from the mobilisation.

In KwaZulu-Natal, where the provincial government has declared a national state of disaster to deal with the aftermath of the violence, the ANC has called on law-enforcement agencies to act swiftly in arresting those responsible for the failed insurrection.

On allegations by Jeremy Cronin, former deputy minister of public works and SA Communist Party politburo member, that the unrest was hatched by members of the Radical Economic Transformation (RET) faction that wishes to overthrow the state, Ntuli said the province does not share Cronin’s views.

“We are appropriating the destruction on people who have no capacity to organise such. We must be more cautious about this,” he said.

At least four people have appeared in court after the unrest on charges of public violence and not adhering to lockdown regulations.

This includes former SABC radio presenter Ngizwe Mchunu and West Rand ANC ward councillor Clarence Tabane. Both suspects have been released on bail.

Though Mchunu has a large public following stemming from his days in broadcasting, Ntuli says the party is not worried about his comments because Mchunu “has no capacity to organise anything.

“We thought the police may have something else when they made the arrest, but it appears not,” he said.

In Gauteng, the ANC’s Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni leaders say they will be instituting corrective measures against its members who are suspected of being involved in the looting and unrest.

The Johannesburg region has received one false complaint of a member who was accused of looting, said spokesperson Sasabona Manganye.

“The matter has been referred to the provincial dispute resolution committee to handle as the member in question is also part of nominees to stand as ward councillors,” he said.

In the West Rand, the ANC has not instituted disciplinary charges against its members involved in the unrest, including Tabane, but says it is collating information that pertains to the involvement of members in the unrest.

WE ARE APPROPRIATING THE DESTRUCTION ON PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO CAPACITY TO ORGANISE SUCH

NATIONAL

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2021-07-30T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-07-30T07:00:00.0000000Z

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