The Record posed similar questions to two representatives of both the ANC and DA who attended the DA’s march for “real jobs” that ended in violence on 12 February.
The Record interviewed DA Councillor for Ward 70, Dave Dewes on 13 February.
Record: The ANC has accused the DA of going about their march the wrong way saying grievances with the “job manifesto” should have been taken to government and not to the ANC’s Luthuli House. What would you say to this?
Dewes: This is just convenient for the ANC. The ANC is the government and vice versa. If we marched to a government building they would have turned around saying it is a party manifesto and that we should have marched to Luthuli house.
Record: The ANC has in its history, especially during the struggle years, held many marches that were provocative by nature yet they accused the DA of holding a provocative march and that the DA should have known better.
Dewes: “Provocative” is just the ANC’s defence so that if violence did erupt, like it did, they could blame the DA. We live in a democratic society where freedom of speech and expression is enshrined in the Constitution but the ANC only wants to abide by this when it suits them.
Record: What do you say about comments made by members of the ANC, people such as Jessie Duarte, who before the march said that the DA must know that although there are rules that there “are different rules” on the street. After the march she said she “hopes that other parties will realise that similar marches will be met with the same reaction”?
Dewes: The ANC blatantly and openly provoked and incited violence. They can not tolerate the fact that they are failing to create jobs and therefore like the apartheid regime take criticism extremely personal and want to crush any form of dissent. When liberation movements become governments they can not react in a democratic way when pushed into a corner but has to resort to their old ways of violence again. They can not succeed in pushing ahead with the economic revival that the country so desperately needs owing to the fact that because of the three headed monster of communism, capitalism and socialism within the party they are ideologically in conflict with themselves.
Record: Any final comments on yesterday’s march?
Dewes: The police presence and management were brilliant. They were in control of the situation at all times and made sure that violence was kept to a minimum. If it were not for them, yesterday would have ended in a bloodbath. The DA once and for all has proven that we are a principled, well-behaved and tolerant party. There was not one single credible report of any form of violence from DA supporters.
