ANC accused of thwarting EFF campaign attempts

Picture: Sunday Tribune

Picture: Sunday Tribune

Published May 29, 2016

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Durban - The Economic Freedom Fighters claimed on Sunday the party had not violated any laws in holding political rallies addressed by leader Julius Malema over the weekend, but that the African National Congress was doing its best to thwart EFF attempts to campaign in the province.

EFF deputy provincial chairman Jackie Shandu said venues booked by the EFF were cancelled at short notice despite being paid for and denied the EFF had been responsible for the clashes between EFF and ANC supporters in Esikhawini, about 20km south of Richards Bay in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, on Saturday afternoon.

In Ladysmith on Friday Malema had been due to speak to supporters at Settlers Park Stadium.

“It was paid for about three weeks ago. A few days before the event, they [the Emnambithi-Ladysmith local municipality] revoked the permission. When we asked them why they said somebody else had booked it before us,” Shandu said.

The EFF had then questioned the municipality over why they had accepted the party’s money for a venue that was already booked but received no answer. “They said tough but we can’t use it,” he said.

The Ladysmith Gazette reported on Thursday that local EFF organisers became aware of the unavailability of the venue that day following a meeting with the municipality.

“All municipal venues have been conveniently booked. In this way the ANC-dominated local municipality has attempted to block the EFF from hosting a meeting in town,” an EFF supporter was quoted by the paper as saying.

Comment could not immediately be obtained from the municipality but ANA can confirm that Settlers Park Stadium was not used at all.

Shandu said he found it strange that police were investigating the EFF’s rally in Esikhawini on Saturday. The rally at the Esikhawini Mall descended into chaos as public order police armed with shotguns and rubber bullets were forced to intervene to keep the peace. They formed a barrier between ANC supporters and about 1000 EFF supporters on opposite sides of the road.

Stones were thrown at Malema minutes after he took to the stage. He was forceably pushed back by his bodyguards while stones flew at the stage and he told supporters not to retaliate. “Let the police deal with these criminals,” he said.

Police then fired rubber bullets into the crowd of ANC supporters and soon thereafter a single gunshot rang out. One man was apprehended and a pistol confiscated.

On Sunday morning, KwaZulu-Natal police spokesman Major Thulani Zwane said no arrests had been made.

“Police are, however, investigating a violation of the Public Gatherings Act, as it seems their [EFF] application to the local municipality to permit them to gather there was turned down,” he said.

“So far, no one has been charged with any offence relating to a firearm,” Zwane said.

Shandu said he was present when the violence erupted and the EFF leadership had to take cover.

“It was a rain of stones aimed at us over heavily armed police. I have never seen anything like this,” said Shandu.

He pointed out that members of the media had been present and witnessed what happened. On whether there was permission for the rally, he said: “One of the IEC [Electoral Commission of SA] clauses says we don’t need to book a public space [during elections]. We identified that space. We identified that spot.”

Shandu also pointed out that the rally had been advertised and publicised long in advance. “They [the ANC] went in the public media and said they would not allow it,” he said.

However, ANC uThungulu chairwoman Nonhle Mkhulisi earlier denied that ANC supporters had thrown any stones and laid the blame on the EFF supporters.

“We never observed ANC members throwing stones. From where I was seated I saw EFF members throwing stones and glass bottles at the group of ANC [supporters] that were chanting slogans within the parameters of the ANC memorial arch where we go to meet and run our campaigns from,” she said.

Replying to a question from the media on whether it had been provocative to station ANC members directly across the road from an EFF event, Mkhulisi claimed it was in fact the ANC that was provoked.

“But we never threw stones. If there is any evidence that shows ANC members were throwing stones we will condemn that action.”

The ANC Memorial Arch is close to Esikhawini Mall, the venue where Malema’s manifesto rally took place on Saturday.

African News Agency

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