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Agreement reached to ensure peaceful elections in troubled township: Zuma

Xinhua, August 2, 2016 Adjust font size:

An agreement has been reached to ensure a peaceful elections in the town of Vuwani, Limpopo Province where violent protests took place earlier this year, South African President Jacob Zuma said on Tuesday.

Zuma said he spoke to King Toni Mphephu Ramabulana earlier on Tuesday and both agreed on the need to ensure lasting peace and stability in Vuwani.

The president was speaking as the country was gearing up for the local government elections, scheduled for August 3.

"We are confident that this agreement will go a long way in normalizing the situation in the entire district and afford communities an opportunity to have access to all services that the violence in the area deprived them," Zuma said.

Earlier this year, the country saw horrific scenes unfolding in Vuwani, with the torching of and damaging of 27 schools in a protest over municipal demarcations in the township. The protest disrupted services in some parts of the district.

Zuma formalized a team of ministers as an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on May 13. Extensive engagements ensued with stakeholders in the district to try and find an amicable solution to the problems raised by communities.

Zuma congratulated the community of Vuwani in the Vhembe district on the agreement that the government signed with stakeholders towards normalizing the situation in that community.

He appealed to the community to go out and use their democratic right to vote in the elections.

Zuma said that the agreement is based on trust amongst all the stakeholders and the commitment to engage further even beyond the elections.

"As government we are confident that we will have peaceful local government elections, even in Vuwani, Vhembe district," said Zuma.

This year's local government elections are heralded by many as being the most contested since 1994. For the first time in history, this election will see 200 political parties and over 61,000 candidates participating.

The parties are contesting 4,392 wards in all 213 municipalities. Endit