ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned violence which took place at a branch general meetings in Limpopo Province at the weekend.
This follows a shoot-out at an ANC branch meeting in Lephalale, Limpopo, at the weekend which left two people shot and 14 others seriously injured.
The ANC earlier said that two people had been killed, but later retracted this and said two were shot but survived.
The party later clarified that while there has been no loss of lives, it remained a source of concern for the ANC that scores of people were seriously injured as a result of the scuffles that ensued during the BGM.
“Yesterday we received the sad news of comrades who were shot at, at an ANC meeting in Lephalale,” said Ramaphosa on Monday during his address of the 8th Regional Conference of Norman Mashabane Region in Tzaneen, Limpopo.
“Our heads are hanging in shame. We should strive to root out these negative tendencies in the movement where thugs are rented to disrupt meetings. They are rented to intimidate and even kill members of the ANC.”
He added: “The prestige of the ANC should not be sacrificed at the altar of political expediency and thuggery. When we see thugs among us we must call them out because the ANC is not an organisation of thugs. It is an organisation that has a great lineage of leaders, members [and] people who have always been disciplined.”
He said the party was not an organisation of thugs, but an organisation that had a great lineage of leaders, members, and people who had always been disciplined.
“This is a disease that has come in our organisation, we must root it out. Just as we must root out corruption. Corruption is the one disease that is reducing the image of the ANC, reducing the standing of the ANC, and reducing the support of the ANC. And as we look around comrades, particularly now as we head to local government elections, we’re finding that our people complain about two or three issues. Unemployment… corruption and the twin brother of corruption is in-fighting,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ramaphosa’s campaign for a second term received a boost after his Limpopo ally Pule Shayi won the much-awaited Norman Mashabane regional conference which was held over the weekend, according to a report by the Sunday World on Monday night.
Shayi was elected uncontested after Greater Letaba Municipality Mayor Peter Matlou, who was supposed to go toe to toe with him, pulled out of the race after realising that the odds were stacked against him.
Shayi’s supporter, Garryson Molapisane, was elected regional deputy chairperson after clobbering his rival, Greater Tzaneen Municipality Mayor Maripe Mangena by 190 to 100 votes.
His other supporter, Limpopo SACP acting provincial secretary Goodman Mthileni, who was on Shayi’s slate, was also elected unopposed.
Shayi’s favourites Mamanyoga Dagma and Blandina Raganya were elected deputy secretary and treasurer respectively.
At time of publishing this article, delegates were still voting for their preferred additional members.
- Inside Politics
