ANCYL condemns Tshwane violence

21 June 2016

Pretoria - The ANC Youth League on Tuesday condemned ongoing violent protests over the ANC's mayoral candidate in Tshwane, saying the ANC resolved problems through dialogue.

Regional ANCYL secretary Ratshi Mashamba said: "The main reason for this violent protest is the announcement of the mayoral candidate on Monday. We are hoping to get this resolved by the end of the day," Mashamba said.

The township of Atteridgeville in Tshwane is on lockdown after ANC members began protesting late on Monday night to force the party to change its decision of naming Thoko Didiza as its mayoral candidate, pushing aside Kgosientso Ramokgopa.

At least ten buses were set alight on Monday night and City of Tshwane work teams had to be withdrawn from the areas for their safety.

Earlier on Tuesday, a truck and a bus were set alight with regular explosions heard all over the area as the tyres and petrol tanks exploded.

Mashamba said they accepted Didiza as the mayoral candidate.

"All the structures in Tshwane are going to rally behind the mayoral candidate and support the ANC in the election process," he said.

The 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 were supposed to hold a press conference on Tuesday morning, but it was cancelled.

Mashamba said they could not meet with media if the situation on the ground was not stable.

"There are challenges in the region that need to be resolved by the leadership on the ground. We need to protect the safety of journalists," he said.

This article first appeared on News24, see here.