Most have criticised the SANCO-led protest, saying it had nothing to do with the poor but a competition by the politically powerful to gain control to loot municipal funds.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) in the Mpumalanga province has confirmed they are investigating the conduct of Standerton cops after they opened live ammunition, killing a 14-year-old boy.
Since the incident, calls for Standerton mayor Linda Dlamini and municipal manager Linda Tshabalala to be fired have mounted.
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The two are at loggerheads – Dlamini part of a faction led by SANCO that wants Tshabalala arrested and replaced by another municipal manager.
Another group aligned to Tshabalala wants Dlamini recalled as mayor of the municipality in the Standerton area – the Lekwa municipality – but most alliance structures believe the sacking of both of them will lessen the effect their personal differences have caused.
The ANCYL said the SANCO-led protest was “orchestrated by greedy individuals who have no interest at heart for our people”.
“We call on both the regional and provincial leadership of the ANC to recall and decisively deal with both the mayor and municipal manager for dragging our people to their own corrupt and greedy battles of tenders, which has resulted to such a painful tragic.
“Their appetite for corruption and squandering of public resources has today robbed this nation another precious life and the blood of this boy is in their hands,” – ANCYL’s Thulasizwe Thomo.
“Two elephants are fighting over control of looting machineries using the poor vulnerable youth and community. We call upon the leadership of the ANC in the region to provide much needed political leadership by recalling both the mayor and municipal manager with immediate effect,” YCL’s Ayanda Mashaba.
The SACP in the Gert Sibande region called for a forensic investigation into allegations of corruption.
Communist regional spokesman Naftal Magagula said the community of Lekwa “found themselves in the cross fire where corruption has been entrenched”.
“The position of the SACP has been clear all along that this [protest] is not about the welfare of the communities but self-enrichment of individuals. Corruption has been entrenched in these municipalities, Lekwa happened to have been the first to implode but our belief is that there is a deep rot in the majority of the municipalities. Both the mayor and municipal manager should be precautionary suspended pending the immediate investigation of the allegations,” said Magagula.
The DA’s Mmusi Maimane said the killing of the boy signified that the ANC government was uncaring.
“President Jacob Zuma must immediately institute an investigation into this matter. It cannot ever be acceptable that unarmed youth are shot at with live ammunition, while protesting for service delivery and the restoration of their dignity,” he said.
(edited by MLM)
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