MBOMBELA – Assassinations of people in the province is an issue which contributed to the violent clash between supporters of the ANC and the South African Communist Party (SACP) in KaNyamazane on Sunday.
This was according to Dr Mathews Phosa, former premier and ANC treasurer-general. “The question is what did the disrupters fear from a discussion about the killings in the province?”
He was supposed to present the SACP’s annual Joe Slovo memorial lecture at the KaNyamazane Hall, however, the meeting had been disrupted by a violent clash between ANC and SACP members. Phosa said he had been told by the party that they would let him know when he should arrive. Instead they informed him that they were being blocked by hooligans, and he stayed home. “The disruption was in violation of the SACP’s democratic right to assemble and right to freedom of speech.”
Provincial police spokesman Brig Selvy Mohlala said people were throwing stones but as far as he knew no weapons were involved in the skirmish.
A case of assault was opened as well as two cases of malicious damage to property after a member of the public’s car had been damaged. A case of public violence was also being investigated by the SAPS.
“There are allegations that a shot was fired. We are still investigating. Nobody has been arrested. Those with minor injuries were treated at clinics and discharged,” Mohlala said.
The provincial SACP said they were warned by the Ehlanzeni regional executive on Thursday that if Phosa and SACP provincial secretary Mr Bonakele Majuba spoke during the lecture “something bad would happen”. The party’s spokesman Mr Lesetja Dikale said it was problematic not to want the provincial secretary to speak at the party’s own event. “It is absurd.”
He added that they invited Phosa as he had known Slovo and could give a personal account of him. “The problem is that every time he speaks they think he will say something about the spy allegations.”
Last year Phosa had passed documents on to Luthuli House alleging that premier and ANC chairman in Mpumalanga Mr David Mabuza was an apartheid spy.
Asked about Phosa’s charge that assassinations lay at the heart of the weekend’s violence, Dikale said, “When you talk about political issues, these are raised persistently. The SACP maintains that the provincial chairman of the ANC Mr David Mabuza is a problem; his leadership style has caused our current political state of emergency.”
ANC provincial spokesman Mr Sibusiso Mathonsi said the SAPC “have a right to their opinions”.
The ANC’s provincial secretary Mr Lucky Ndinisa said the provincial leadership did not tell the SACP not to go ahead with the lecture. “Maybe the region did. The province would not necessarily have supported it. The party is independent. I don’t see us telling them what to do.”
”At all times we expect our members to display the values of the organisation. We expect every South African citizen to be allowed to express himself and to be able to associate freely,” he said.
“We don’t agree with our members actively engaging in a street fight. Of course we will take action against those who are responsible as per our constitution. We can’t condone any form of violence.”
The ANC’s regional secretary of Ehlanzeni Mr Phazamisa Mathe was not available for comment.
