Duarte: ANC Condemns Violent Protests, Concerned About Duduzile Zuma's Tweets
- ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte has called out the violent protests and looting taking place in the country
- Duarte says it is difficult to say that the violence was being instigated by structures within the ANC
- She also stated that members of the Zuma family will have to account for the tweets they shared on social media in support of the protests
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Speaking at a press conference on Monday, ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte stated that the ANC condemned the violent protests and widespread looting and theft taking place in parts of South Africa.
Duarte's statement comes after a special ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting that took place over the weekend.
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While there are claims that the protests are being fuelled by members of the ANC, Duarte stated that ANC leadership had not heard of structures within the party convening to discuss plans to start the violence, according to Daily Maverick.
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Duarte did say that individuals had been identified and their names have been handed over to the police for further investigation.
She said five to six people were identified in KwaZulu-Natal, one person in Soweto and another person was identified in Mpumalanga as instigators of the violent protests.
Duarte further added that it was difficult to link these individuals to the ANC as they were linked to other corruption scandals.
“These are the people who are linked to the people who insist on 35% of the money that comes from local government [tenders]” and “it’s a bit more complex than a simple matter of ascribing it in the ANC,” said Duarte in a quote by Daily Maverick.
At the same press conference, Duarte also added the ANC has a good relationship with the Zuma family however they were concerned about what a few members within the family have been saying on social media.
Duarte added that the party would be taking action to address tweets posted by Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, according to SABC News.
Zuma-Sambudla has taken to Twitter in support of the protest and has been vocal about her father's release from prison. She has also been sharing videos illustrating the violence happening in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
“She will have to answer and explain what her tweets mean and where they’re going to lead to,” Duarte said
Duarte also stated that if the tweets were fake as it has been stipulated then Zuma-Sambudla was supposed to remove them and not keep them on her page for days on end. She also added that five other Zuma family members will also have to account for their reckless tweets.
Exclusive: "It's not about Zuma", Community vows to protect residents from protestors
In an exclusive report, Briefly News reported that the community of Queensburgh in Durban have decided that enough is enough. Residents of Escombe, Malvern and surrounding areas worked hard to stop looters from making their way into their homes.
Briefly News attended the protest protection, which was situated outside the Pick n Pay shopping mall in Queensburgh, where residents created a blockade around the centre. Zanel Allison, head and spokesperson for the Protest Protection group shared her story with us.
The 25-year-old is a resident of Hillary. She has lived in Queensburgh her entire life. On Monday, 12 July, Zanel and other community members made their way to the Pick n Pay area and started blocking the road with their vehicles.
Zanel stated that she had been in the area since 10am on Monday after her morning jog. She created groups on WhatsApp to keep the community informed about what is happening in their area.
"All the garages are closed, there's no way to put fuel in our tanks. If that goes down, how do our businesses survive? It's not about Zuma, it's not about anything all we're trying to do is stand up for our community"
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Source: Briefly News
