ANC denies planning disruptions of DA administration’s activities
THE ANC in Joburg has denied having an organised action plan to disrupt the activities of DA mayor Herman Mashaba’s administration.
This is after it emerged that a local leader had sent a text message to ANC members that could be interpreted as inciting them to disrupt one of the community meetings on the Integrated Development Plan (IDP), the provincial government’s blueprint for development.
The Star has established that secretary of zone 11 region in Joburg South, Simphiwe Hlafa, send a text message encouraging the party’s members to attend a meeting hosted by Mashaba and to “show the DA that we never voted for them in Johannesburg; they were put there by the EFF”.
The message was sent a day after violence broke out at an IDP meeting held at Midrand High School on Tuesday where two people were injured.
In the message, which was doing the rounds on social media, Hlafa asked the alleged sender of the text, zonal chairperson Pixie Jafta, to forward the message to ANC members ahead of an IDP meeting on Wednesday night at the Johannesburg City Hall.
The statement encouraged ANC members not to wear ANC regalia when they attend the meeting. No violence broke out at the gathering.
Yesterday, Hlafa confirmed that he had asked Jafta to send the message, but claims it was taken out of context. “We have an interest in the IDP structures because as the ANC we are still the leader of society.
“Mashaba is deliberately quoting the message out of context,” he said.
“That message is being misinterpreted. The only reason we said this was because our members were moered by the EFF in the Midrand meeting. It is not an expression of violence. The ANC does not promote violence,” Hlafa said.
But Jafta claims she did not author the message. “I don’t know who the source is.
“I have seen the messages and I am also surprised. Disrupting the DA is not part of our agenda.
“We are a peaceful organisation and think it is important that residents engage with government,” she said.
Jafta said the message was “a tactic by Mashaba to paint ANC as hooligans”.
“We are a very peaceful organisation. Our agenda is not to disrupt service delivery. We are pro poor,” Jafta said.
Her region was scheduled to hold a meeting last night to discuss the messages.
Mashaba’s spokesperson, Tony Taverna-Turisan, said the mayor was worried about a text message, saying it was written by an ANC official to encourage the party’s members to cause chaos at public engagements.
“The mayor is deeply worried about the message, but there is nothing he can do but continue with the public engagements.
“We cannot allow to be destabilised, but continue to engage with the community as we are constitutionally mandated.”
He said the city would increase security at the last few IDP meetings.
Jolidee Matongo, ANC Joburg region spokesperson, has called on their members who were injured in the Midrand High School attack to open criminal cases. The party has denied being the cause of the violence.