The ANC’s Peter Mokaba Region has confirmed that prominent politician and regional election team member, Jossey Buthane, was arrested and charged with attempted murder yesterday.

His arrest stems from the violent clashes in Juju Valley on Sunday, which the party stated involved members and volunteers from both the ANC and EFF, and in which several people sustained severe injuries.

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Regional party spokesperson Adolph Rapetswa told Polokwane Review that Buthane handed himself over to the police and said he was among several individuals arrested and charged.

He described this as a gross human rights violation, saying the law seems to only take into account one particular point of view of what surfaced in Juju Valley earlier.

“To begin with, it was EFF members who attacked ANC members as they were conducting door-to-door election campaigns in Juju Valley.  This, after the EFF had unlawfully barricaded the area, declaring it a no-go zone for any political party. This is a clear violation of the Electoral Act. Today, our law enforcement agencies, starting with the police, chose to arrest those who were merely defending themselves from the EFF’s aggression,” Rapetswa explained.

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National EFF leader Julius Malema has in the meantime condemned the violence and called for an investigation into the matter, claiming that other highly placed ANC officials were seen producing firearms in footage circulating on social media.