Exclusive: Civil Group One South Africa Says The ANC Is To Blame For The Unrest in SA
- The One South Africa Movement (OSA) says the factionalism with the ANC is to blame for the current unrest in South Africa
- The organisation is against the deployment of the South African National Defence Force in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng
- OSA is calling on all South Africans to act against looting and stop the destruction of infrastructure
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The civil society group One South Africa Movement (OSA) has been very vocal about their displeasure in the African National Congress government's response to the violent protests and looting taking place in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
In a statement sent to Briefly News, OSA says the organisation is disturbed by the widescale public looting and violence in the two provinces and are calling for an end to the violence.
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The organisation says the ANC is to be blamed for the unrest that has plagued two major provinces in South Africa, stating that factionalism and ethnonationalism are at the heart of the crisis.
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"The internal factional battles taking place within the ANC is spilling out into our streets, and threatens to bring our country to its knees if not replaced once and for all," read the statement.
OSA highlights that the battle between ANC leaders has left them unable to lead the country efficiently. The organisation added that the ANC has created an environment that allows politicians to exploit the needs of poor communities for their own ulterior motives.
"The poor are being exploited, being used as pawns by powerful and selfish politicians," says the organisation.
OSA's Graham Charters says the organisation does not agree with the government's decision to deploy the South African National Defence Force to help calm the unrest in affected areas.
The Minister of Defence Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula announced that 25 000 soldiers were deployed in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal to assist law enforcement officials.
Charters says the army is not equipped or trained to deal with criminals, the police have that training. He added that South Africa can deploy police reservists to communities.
We need more boots on the ground as soon as possible. We call on the Minister of Police to deploy all police reservists to communities across South Africa. Currently there are an estimated 8000 reservists who can be launched into action immediately," said Charters.
Charters also stated that community members needed to take action and help stop the ongoing violence and looting and. He added that citizens needed to become activists as South Africans can no longer rely on politicians and the government to act.
"The truth is political parties are the minority. We are the majority. It is time to take our power back from political parties and bring about real change," said Charters.
45 000 businesses impacted by looting and SA unrest, R16 billion lost
In another report, Briefly News reported that eThekwini Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda announced that Durban's economy has suffered a huge loss due to the lootings, theft and destruction of property that started in the KwaZulu-Natal province last week.
Speaking at a media briefing on Wednesday, Kaunda says the city has started to calculate the impact the riots and looting have had on the city's economy.
As of now, 45 000 businesses have been closed, resulting in a loss of R16 billion in stock, as well as infrastructural and equipment damage according to the City Press.
He also revealed that the lawlessness that has created chaos in Durban has harmed the businesses of 5 000 informal traders and 40 000 of those businesses affected were formal businesses including small businesses.
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Source: Briefly News
