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Councillor nominations have become a tense affair in Mpumalanga, sparking sporadic protests across the province.
The ANC is already welcoming the nominations of candidates to be councillors after the local government elections have taken place.
Disgruntled ANC members from various branches in Hazyview demanded a meeting with Ehlanzeni regional executive committee members yesterday afternoon after accusing regional executive committee deployees of imposing councillors that communities did not want.
Angry party members blockaded roads in KaNyamazane township outside Mbombela with burning tyres, stones and bricks and the N4 freeway on Sunday, because regional deployees were imposing sitting councillors as candidates.
Another protest happened in Lihawu township on the same day.
Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Sergeant Gerald Sedibe, said no one had been arrested in both incidents and no charges were laid.
“An angry crowd held some people hostage at a meeting in KaNyamazane following a dispute about councillor nominations, but police came to their rescue. The same people also threw stones at police vehicles,” Sedibe said.
“In Lihawu, they tried to close a road but police reacted quickly,” he added.
Mpumalanga ANC secretary Mandla Ndlovu said that the party met the protesters of KaNyamazane and the matter was resolved.
“Our interest is to check who is the most popular candidate. The provincial executive committee is clear on this … we can’t impose councillors,” Ndlovu said.
He criticised the protesters for using violence.
“They’re ANC members and must raise their concerns properly,” Ndlovu said.
The South African Communist Party in the province has taken a stance that it would not support imposed candidates. This has resulted in suspicions that the party would back independent candidates if that happened.
The ANC decided to allow communities to participate in the nomination of ward councillors in 2011. Since then, there have been protests about deployees going against the communities’ will and imposing candidates of their choice.
The worst protest about the nominations happened in 2011 in Wesselton township near Ermelo. It lasted for two weeks, and residents went on a rampage that saw municipal vehicles torched.
Police allegedly tortured ringleaders and accused them of having received funding from senior ANC politicians in the province to start the riots in order to topple Premier David Mabuza.
