The Hawks are investigating whether senior ANC members in Tshwane are behind the wave of civil unrest in the capital city.
“I can confirm that arrests will be made soon of people implicated. Our investigations are at an advanced stage and we have names of people who allegedly orchestrated the violence‚” Hawks spokesman Hangani Mulaudzi said.
ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe told eNCA that the party had names and pictures of members of the party who held a meeting to disrupt Tshwane after the party announced that former cabinet minister Thoko Didiza was its mayoral candidate for the city.
The hunt for the alleged instigators of the protests – which saw two people killed overnight‚ at least 20 buses torched‚ businesses looted and roads barricaded – gathered speed yesterday as details emerged of a clandestine meeting at a hotel where a plot was allegedly hatched on Monday to render the city ungovernable.
The Pretoria News reported that the meeting was chaired by a senior ANC official and attended by branch leaders and ward councillors who were opposed to the appointment of Didiza.
Minister of State Security David Mahlobo also hinted in a radio interview that the party had information that the protests were sparked by disgruntled ANC members.
The ANC Youth League earlier placed the blame for the upheavals on mayor and regional chairman Kgosientso “Sputla” Ramokgopa.
ANC alliance partner Cosatu joined the hunt after reports about the meeting at the Court Classique Hotel in Arcadia.
Cosatu spokesman Sizwe Pamla said the union federation was concerned about the alleged involvement of “leaders of the movement in collusion with tenderpreneurs” in the violent protests.
“The movement needs to cleanse itself of reactionaries‚ opportunists, flatterers‚ patrons‚ factionalists and hangers-on‚ who are infiltrating and tearing the movement apart.
“This narrow focus on internal factional battles by the movement and the never-ending scandals‚ political violence and killings risk not only weakening the movement but killing it and its political capacity to lead society‚” Pamla said.
ANC Tshwane spokesman Teboho Joala challenged anyone with information about any clandestine meetings related to the protests to come forward and report details to the police.
Was politics or money responsible for the chaos and looting? That’s been one of the burning questions in the city over the past three days.
Despite politics being the spark that caused the protests‚ the level of looting raised serious concern for the government‚ police and the ruling party.
In the 24 hours up to yesterday‚ looting and damage of property was the order of the day in Mamelodi‚ Atteridgeville‚ Mabopane and Hammanskraal.
Foreign shop owners took refuge in a police station yesterday when residents ran amok‚ looting shops in Mamelodi West.
Police confirmed that two people had been killed in Mamelodi.
Hawks hunt for alleged ANC instigators of Tshwane unrest
“I can confirm that arrests will be made soon of people implicated. Our investigations are at an advanced stage and we have names of people who allegedly orchestrated the violence‚” Hawks spokesman Hangani Mulaudzi said.
ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe told eNCA that the party had names and pictures of members of the party who held a meeting to disrupt Tshwane after the party announced that former cabinet minister Thoko Didiza was its mayoral candidate for the city.
The hunt for the alleged instigators of the protests – which saw two people killed overnight‚ at least 20 buses torched‚ businesses looted and roads barricaded – gathered speed yesterday as details emerged of a clandestine meeting at a hotel where a plot was allegedly hatched on Monday to render the city ungovernable.
The Pretoria News reported that the meeting was chaired by a senior ANC official and attended by branch leaders and ward councillors who were opposed to the appointment of Didiza.
Minister of State Security David Mahlobo also hinted in a radio interview that the party had information that the protests were sparked by disgruntled ANC members.
The ANC Youth League earlier placed the blame for the upheavals on mayor and regional chairman Kgosientso “Sputla” Ramokgopa.
ANC alliance partner Cosatu joined the hunt after reports about the meeting at the Court Classique Hotel in Arcadia.
Cosatu spokesman Sizwe Pamla said the union federation was concerned about the alleged involvement of “leaders of the movement in collusion with tenderpreneurs” in the violent protests.
“The movement needs to cleanse itself of reactionaries‚ opportunists, flatterers‚ patrons‚ factionalists and hangers-on‚ who are infiltrating and tearing the movement apart.
“This narrow focus on internal factional battles by the movement and the never-ending scandals‚ political violence and killings risk not only weakening the movement but killing it and its political capacity to lead society‚” Pamla said.
ANC Tshwane spokesman Teboho Joala challenged anyone with information about any clandestine meetings related to the protests to come forward and report details to the police.
Was politics or money responsible for the chaos and looting? That’s been one of the burning questions in the city over the past three days.
Despite politics being the spark that caused the protests‚ the level of looting raised serious concern for the government‚ police and the ruling party.
In the 24 hours up to yesterday‚ looting and damage of property was the order of the day in Mamelodi‚ Atteridgeville‚ Mabopane and Hammanskraal.
Foreign shop owners took refuge in a police station yesterday when residents ran amok‚ looting shops in Mamelodi West.
Police confirmed that two people had been killed in Mamelodi.
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