ANC heavyweight Gwede Mantashe was quickly surrounded by armed police officers when a rally took a volatile turn yesterday.
The party’s SG was in Sterkspruit, a no-go zone for the ANC in recent years.
Sterkspruit Civic Association (SCA) members want the town to secede from the Senqu municipality. Failure by the authorities to act saw ongoing violent riots more than a year ago as schooling and business shut down completely.
Yesterday morning Mantashe started with a “meet-and-greet” down the town’s main road. The reception was mainly positive, with a few people showing disdain for the ANC. Some residents complained about lack of water, housing and road maintenance.
It was when Mantashe’s party reached the taxi rank where the SCA was meeting, that things changed.
The two groups – each about 400-strong – shouted and cursed each other.
Mantashe called an SCA leader, telling him to select a group of people to meet with him but SCA members then turned on Mantashe, one yelling:
“You are thieves, we will not vote for Nkandla.” Another yelled: “Gwede does not care for us. We are not his sheep.”
Heavily armed police, part of a bigger contingent of about 50, closed in and surrounded Mantashe. After a short address to supporters, Mantashe and social development MEC Pemmy Majodina went to the town hall but the situation stayed tense and police threw four stun grenades.
The ANC delegation was led to the hall while a group of SCA members ran alongside them, chanting anti-ANC slogans. Police officers formed a blue line between the two groups.
Speaking to the Dispatch yesterday, Mantashe made light of the situation. “There was no hostile grouping. Actually I was excited that we blitzed the whole town. ... We didn’t run away from them – we asked them to bring a delegation we can talk to. They have not .” Mantashe said he expected the protests. “When you do not want to talk, but instead disturb ANC programmes, we say you are working with the opposition. It’s like someone riding a donkey backwards: they look like they are coming towards us but in fact they are walking away.”
SCA chairman Mcebisi Mgojo said the association had a service for fallen comrade Wele Mgoqi, who died in clashes with police last year. “We knew the ANC would be at the town hall so we held ours far away to avoid clashes. If the SG wants to speak to the people of Sterkspruit, he must make a proper appointment. We are always ready to speak.” — abongilem@dispatch.co.za
Police shield Mantashe from angry EC crowd
The party’s SG was in Sterkspruit, a no-go zone for the ANC in recent years.
Sterkspruit Civic Association (SCA) members want the town to secede from the Senqu municipality. Failure by the authorities to act saw ongoing violent riots more than a year ago as schooling and business shut down completely.
Yesterday morning Mantashe started with a “meet-and-greet” down the town’s main road. The reception was mainly positive, with a few people showing disdain for the ANC. Some residents complained about lack of water, housing and road maintenance.
It was when Mantashe’s party reached the taxi rank where the SCA was meeting, that things changed.
The two groups – each about 400-strong – shouted and cursed each other.
Mantashe called an SCA leader, telling him to select a group of people to meet with him but SCA members then turned on Mantashe, one yelling:
“You are thieves, we will not vote for Nkandla.” Another yelled: “Gwede does not care for us. We are not his sheep.”
Heavily armed police, part of a bigger contingent of about 50, closed in and surrounded Mantashe. After a short address to supporters, Mantashe and social development MEC Pemmy Majodina went to the town hall but the situation stayed tense and police threw four stun grenades.
The ANC delegation was led to the hall while a group of SCA members ran alongside them, chanting anti-ANC slogans. Police officers formed a blue line between the two groups.
Speaking to the Dispatch yesterday, Mantashe made light of the situation. “There was no hostile grouping. Actually I was excited that we blitzed the whole town. ... We didn’t run away from them – we asked them to bring a delegation we can talk to. They have not .” Mantashe said he expected the protests. “When you do not want to talk, but instead disturb ANC programmes, we say you are working with the opposition. It’s like someone riding a donkey backwards: they look like they are coming towards us but in fact they are walking away.”
SCA chairman Mcebisi Mgojo said the association had a service for fallen comrade Wele Mgoqi, who died in clashes with police last year. “We knew the ANC would be at the town hall so we held ours far away to avoid clashes. If the SG wants to speak to the people of Sterkspruit, he must make a proper appointment. We are always ready to speak.” — abongilem@dispatch.co.za
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