ANC says it ‘doesn’t need Saps to defend itself’ and will use stones and guns if it clashes with EFF again

The ANC says it condemns the violent clash between its members and those of the EFF outside Polokwane on Sunday, going so far as to claim the rival party deliberately employed “gangsters” to shoot its members.

Yet if the EFF tries it again, the ANC will “take them head-on” with its own stones and guns.

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Briefing the media on Monday, ANC provincial secretary in Limpopo Reuben Madadzhe and Polokwane mayor John Mpe said of the 12 people who were injured, 10 have since been discharged from hospital.

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Two were in a critical condition and required further treatment, including a man who had a bullet lodged in soft tissue that has been removed, though he requires further surgery.

Madadzhe said the most concerning case involves the nine-year-old girl who was shot in the head. An innocent bystander at the event, she received a five-hour operation and is in a critical but stable condition in ICU.

“Our thoughts and our prayers are with her for a full recovery,” he said.

The incident happened in Juju Valley, Seshego Zone 1, when groups from the rival political parties were campaigning ahead of the general election on 29 May.

According to the Limpopo Chronicle, EFF supporters who were brought to the area in bakkies allegedly confronted ANC members in a bid to prevent them from campaigning in the area.

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“Even in the height of tensions pre-1994, it is unheard of for any political formation to employ… gangsters to shoot at members of another organisation while doing political work,” the ANC provincial secretary said.

“It is totally a new phenomenon that elections campaigning are unable to take place because another political party claims to have exclusive ownership of voters of a particular geographical locality.

Mpe said even the throwing of stones was started by EFF members and the ANC members only “responded to this” by doing the same.

‘EFF hired people from outside’

But if the EFF were to campaign in an ANC area, no one would have a right to throw stones at them, he said.

“They went out and hired people outside Juju Valley to come and throw stones,” Mpe said.

Calling for the perpetrators to be brought to justice through the criminal case that police are investigating, Madadzhe said the incident has caused emotional distress to ANC volunteers who were simply exercising their democratic right to engage with communities.

“The ANC is deeply concerned about the safety of its members and supporters in the face of such violent and criminal behaviour by the Economic Freedom Fighters.”

He said the party calls on the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to take action against the EFF for “their role in inciting violence and disrupting the democratic process”.

Madadzhe urged the people of Limpopo to distance themselves from the EFF, “a political party that promotes violence and lacks political tolerance”.

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‘Throw stones back’

For their part, he said the ANC will not be deterred by the violence. It would in fact intensify its campaigning.

“In no uncertain terms, the ANC is marching to victory and no amount of violence will defocus us.”

If attacked, he said ANC volunteers would “throw stones back”.

“We don’t need Saps to defend ourselves… We are going to defend ourselves.

“We are not going to allow thugs that are hired by Economic Freedom Fighters to try and intimidate us. We are going to take them head-on. They need to get it very clear. If they are going to do it again we are going to take them head-on.

“We have good stone-throwers. We don’t need to go out and hire… If it needs guns we will go there with guns as well.”

Watch the briefing below: