Mashaba claims government, police are ‘waging war’ against City of Johannesburg

Johannesburg executive mayor Herman Mashaba has released a statement announcing that he will “provide detailed information” on a plot by “law enforcement agencies, spheres of government and Chapter 9 institutions”, who he claims are “being used to wage a political war against the City of Johannesburg and its multi-party government.”

Mashaba will elaborate at a press conference at the Johannesburg Metro Centre in Braamfontein, which will take place from 10:30am on Tuesday.

His statement goes on to allege that “the change” his local government has “delivered in Johannesburg poses a real threat to the ANC,” which he says has “turned to state institutions to wage war against the City” because of its attempt to “combat corruption” and turn “off the taps to illicit party funding”.

Mashaba will provide “extensive details of the weaponisation of state institutions against the City” and will also explain how the multi-party Johannesburg government plans to respond.

“The abuse of state institutions and resources cannot be allowed to continue unanswered”.

“Our multi-party government will not stand by idly while the ANC uses captured institutions to wage war on its behalf,” the statement concludes.

It is likely the alleged war Mashaba believes is being waged against the City is connected to the ongoing shutdown of Alexandra township.

READ MORE: Sandton braces for Alexandra protest invasion

The DA in Gauteng have called the shutdown a “a coordinated ploy by Luthuli House”, and Mashaba himself has said the ANC is “fully behind this protest to try and fool the people of Alexandra”.

The DA’s Gauteng Premier candidate Solly Msimanga laid charges against the ANC over the weekend, for “allegedly inciting violence in the community in order to influence the outcome of the general elections on May 8”, adding he has “evidence of how the ANC was conspiring to instigate violence by coordinating plans with local affiliates on the ground to embark on violent protest actions and sow anarchy”.

Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi reacted to this on Twitter, accusing the DA of having “lost their marbles”.

“People of Alex [raise] genuine issues [and] instead of meeting them you open a case against the [Gauteng ANC]. Your obsession against the ANC is now on steroids. Your inexperience in running a [government] has caught up with you badly,” Lesufi tweeted.

The ANC’s Gauteng Premier David Makhura, meanwhile, took to Twitter to accuse the DA of being “busy with blame-shifting, not delivery” while announcing that he will be visiting Alex on Tuesday and that President Cyril Ramaphosa will meet with residents to hear their grievances on Thursday.

Mashaba on Friday issued a statement saying he will only be going to Alex on Monday April 15, a week from now, despite leaders of the protest asking for him specifically and saying the shutdown will continue until he meets with members of the community. The protest is expected to move from Alexandra to the Sandton CBD on Monday, with leaders saying they would go this route if Mashaba didn’t show up on Monday morning.

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