POLITICS

ANC condemns dumping of faeces at Cape Town airport

Party says such behaviour makes a mockery of right to protest, diminishes any genuine issues being raised

ANC Statement on anarchy disguised as genuine political grievances

The African National Congress has noted recent media reports that a grouping of people has dumped human faeces at the Cape Town International Airport. This anarchic behaviour started a few weeks ago in the City of Cape Town and was rightly condemned by the African National Congress Youth League as at the time members of our youth wing were said to be implicated.It was our belief that such behaviour would have been halted and those individuals, whomever they may be, would have desisted from such. Clearly this has not been the case.

In the harshest possible terms, the ANC condemns such behaviour and calls for a halt for such atrocious displays of dissatisfaction, whatever the cause. Such makes a mockery of the right to protest  and diminishes the stature of the grievance and the genuine issues that may be raised. Immediately, if there are many members of the ANC or the ANCYL involved in such action, they must desist from this behaviour or face investigation and disciplinary action by the organisation.

The African National Congress respects and continues to promote the rights of community members to peaceful demonstration, however if there are any grievances against the City of Cape Town, the Western Cape Government or any other organ of the state, these must raised within the proper channels created by our constitutional and legal framework.

These actions paint a negative picture of our country and make a mockery of South Africa in the eyes of the international community. Further, these actions pose a health hazard to the people involved and upon the people they target.  It boggles the mind that these individuals have the audacity to transport human waste in public and private vehicles, negligent and dismissive of the dangers posed. 

In the same way as we have condemned the burning and looting of private and public property during protests, we equally and unreservedly condemn the littering of property with human waste as a form of demonstration and protest.

Statement issued by Jackson Mthembu, ANC national spokesperson, June 25 2013

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