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ANC distances itself from call to take up arms in self-defence

Xinhua, April 6, 2017 Adjust font size:

The ruling African National Congress (ANC) on Thursday distanced itself from radical ANC members who threatened to take up arms in self-defence as a national shutdown approached.

The party made the statement ahead of the national shutdown scheduled for Friday. Opposition parties and civic organizations are planning nationwide protest actions against President Jacob Zuma, including a march to the ANC headquarters in Johannesburg, prompting radical ANC members to threaten to take up arms in defence of the organization and Zuma.

"We condemn in the harshest possible terms reports of people seeking to take up arms in the name of the ANC. Such behavior has no place in a democratic society," the party said.

The ANC also denied reports that it has organized pro-ANC marches to counter the protests.

Organizers of Friday's planned national shutdown have appealed to ANC leaders to join their action aimed at persuading President Jacob Zuma to step down.

Leaders from civil society, religious bodies and even ANC stalwarts have called on Zuma to quit, following the cabinet reshuffle last week, which saw the dismissal of Pravin Gordhan as Finance Minister.

The ANC said it is concerned at reports of sporadic violence and intimidation in the run-up to the planned so-called "day of action" on Friday.

"Such actions have no place in democratic South Africa and threaten to turn the country back to a time where civic activism by citizens was stifled in the name of 'preserving law and order'", the party said.

As the planned day of protests approaches, the ANC calls on all South Africans to organize in a calm and measured fashion, ANC acting national spokesperson Khusela Sangoni said.

"We should not allow inflammatory rhetoric from certain elements, including on social media, to damage our fragile social fabric and turn South Africans against each other," said Sangoni.

The ANC encourages all South Africans to report any incidents of illegality, intimidation or coercion to the relevant law enforcement authorities, both in the days leading up to the demonstrations, and on the day, he said. Endit