South Africa:Pretoria undelock after a night of violent political protests

They want the outgoing Mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa to be retained as mayor.

On Sunday, a member of the African National Congress was fatally shot in Pretoria in a dispute coinciding with the party’s announcement of its mayoral candidates, authorities said.

She will face the media for the first time since being named as the candidate, a decision that sparked violent protests in the metro in the past few days.

Police said they had discovered two more bodies in Mabopane township following the violent protests, bringing to five the number of recorded deaths since Didiza’s nomination.

“For local government elections, you need to elect a leader who is from that particular area, somebody who understands the needs of the people and, with regards to Tshwane, the ANC should have hunted for someone who is from Tshwane”, Masoga said yesterday.

The ANC said its members were not to blame for the violence.

Two others were shot dead in the Mamelodi township on Tuesday night.

Commenting on this week’s violence, Didiza described it as sad and said destruction of property was no way to resolve conflicts.

Cosatu meanwhile has called for an investigation into whether the violence had been sponsored by leaders of the movement and tenderpreneurs, and for the arrest of those behind the attacks.

The ANC leadership named senior party member and former cabinet minister Thoko Didiza as its candidate for Tshwane, overriding regional branch members and refusing to back down as the violence mounted.

This is about an ANC that is tearing itself apart partly because of the politics of patronage and the cancer of corruption.

The statement said government would work tirelessly with police until peace is restored and urged the public not to spread further panic.

Protesters have burnt trucks, buses and looted foreign-owned shops during these protests.

“Municipal elections speak to residents and therefore you can not have a situation where somebody from KwaZulu-Natal is going to lead people in Venda”, Masoga added.

The Independent Electoral Commission noted “with grave concern” increasing levels of violence and intimidation in the run-up to the poll.

“I feel part of that community, a community which I hope working together with my organisation together with the communities will be able to move it forward”.

“Our investigations are at an advanced stage and we have names of people who allegedly orchestrated the violence‚” said Hawks spokesman Hangani Mulaudzi.

“Sending false SMSs cause unnecessary panic to the people”, De lange said.