ANC supporters in eThekwini calling for an end to the violence in Phoenix

A group of ANC supporters from different branches in eThekwini marched to the party’s provincial offices calling for an end to the violence and racism in Phoenix. Just over 100 people marched to the ANC provincial offices in Durban central, and were followed by a motorcade.

Representing the group, Ntando Khuzwayo said they had prepared a memorandum to be handed over to provincial secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli.

Instead, the memorandum was handed over to Provincial Executive Council (PEC) member Kwazi Mshengu, who is also the Education MeEC in the province. In the memorandum, the group said they were “deeply wounded” by the killing of Africans in Phoenix, and that it was “worse than the apartheid Group Areas Act which relied on barbaric ethnic polarisation

Khuzwayo read out the memorandum before signing it and handing it over to Mshengu. He said the unrest that erupted in the province was used by racists to massacre African people, deny them access to shops, and, in some cases, stop them from going home.

“Such action cannot go unpunished. Racism is still rife in the country and the racists have an upper hand as the system is designed to protect them,” Khuzwayo said.

In the memorandum, the group said they had received a number of angry requests from their members, but Khuzwayo said they found it was the protocol to organise a convoy and deliver a memorandum to the PEC and National Executive Council (NEC) of the ANC.
It is no secret that this entire unrest was triggered by the unconstitutional arrest of the former president without trial. We understand that the law must take its course, however the ANC as the ruling party must also make a pronouncement against the unconstitutional jailing of the former president,” Khuzwayo read from the memorandum.

The group called on the NEC to withdraw its anti-Zuma comments. Further in their memorandum, the group demanded that the PEC must organise an ANC protest against Zuma’s imprisonment, and that the PEC must lead the effort to charge those responsible for unrest-related murders.

The group also wants the PEC to ensure that the government cancels all contracts of security companies that participated in the killing, blocking and assault of African people with immediate effect.

“The PEC must ensure that the SAPS suspends the firearm licences of all security companies that participated in the blockades and attacks on our people,” he read.

In other news – Caster Semenya expecting baby number 2

Despite missing the currently underway Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, popular South African Olympic champion, Caster Semenya, has a lot to celebrate and be grateful about.

Today, Caster announced on social media that she and her wife Violet Raseboya, who is also a multi-medalist runner, are expecting their second child. Learn more

Source: IOL