“The ANC campaign of violence is bad for our democracy. It is evident that Cyril Ramaphosa is not in charge of the ANC, his weak leadership is evident for everyone to see,” Malatsi said.
The party’s executive director of communications, Siviwe Gwarube, echoed Malatsi’s comments.
“The protests we are currently witnessing are solely perpetuated by the ANC,” she said.
“The ANC does not have a campaign except violence and intimidation. The people of Alex have legitimate grievances because they have been failed by the ANC government for 25 years.”
READ MORE: Mashaba claims government, police are ‘waging war’ against City of Johannesburg
Protests are ongoing in several DA-controlled municipalities. The shutdown of Alexandra township has since spread to Tshwane, where a similar “total shutdown” is taking place, while areas of the Western Cape, such as Cape Town township Khayelitsha and the nearby town of Somerset West are also undergoing a shutdown that has seen roads blocked with burning tyres and rocks.
The DA has maintained that the protests are “orchestrated” by the ANC, an allegation which Gauteng Premier David Makhura has responded to by saying the party is engaging in “blame-shifting” rather than attempting to solve problems.
The DA’s official Twitter account today tweeted that “the Tshwane, Alex, and Khayelitsha violent protests are a clear indication that the ANC is prepared to burn the country to the ground as they are on the verge of losing more provinces in the coming elections.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa is due to visit Alexandra today, a meeting Johannesburg executive mayor Herman Mashaba said he tried to join but failed, saying a letter sent to the president – about his willingness to join him and about how the protests need to be handled with an “intergovernmental” approach – was ignored.
Protest action, meanwhile, has affected several areas of Pretoria on Thursday, including Hammanskraal, Hercules, Daspoort, Booysens, and Shosanguve.
One resident, Christiaan Smit, told Pretoria East Rekord the situation in Booysens was “absolutely chaotic”.
