Methodists warn on violence
THE Methodist Church of Southern Africa has warned that the violent protests in the country must not impact on the elections, saying this must be stopped urgently.
The comment by the church yesterday comes after violent protests in Mamelodi, Soweto, Alexandra, Kroonstad in the Free State and Blackheath in Cape Town.
In Kwaggafontein in Mpumalanga protesters torched the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) offices this week.
The presiding bishop of the church, Reverend Zipho Siwa, said the country must ensure there are free and fair elections next month.
He said the violent protests could not be ignored as they threatened the security of the state.
“Although we acknowledge the fact that efficient service delivery is the right of every citizen in this country, we do not condone the wanton violence, the senseless loss of lives, and the brazen looting and criminal destruction of property that have become the hallmark of these mass protests,” said Siwa.
Ministers in the security cluster last week said they would ensure there was stability during the elections.
The ministers said thousands of voting stations would be protected by the police, and that they would not allow no-go areas or shutdowns during the elections.
The security cluster said they had already identified hot spots and that they would use more resources and ensure intelligence-driven operations.
The DA has accused the ANC of orchestrating the violent protests in major cities over the past few days.
But the ANC said that there was no time to point fingers, and that parties should rather focus on fixing problems in the municipalities they governed.
The ANC lost Tshwane, Joburg and Nelson Mandela Bay to a DA-led coalition in the 2016 municipal polls.
The ANC is facing the threat of losing Gauteng. But pollsters have predicted an ANC victory in the general elections of more than 54%.
The ruling party’s support has declined in the past few years and it lost control of the Western Cape in the 2009 elections.
The DA has said it wants to capture Gauteng and the Northern Cape.
Siwa said parties must commit to creating a safe environment for voters to cast their ballots.
More than 48 parties are contesting the elections this year, which is the biggest number since the dawn of democracy.