About 2 000 Azanian People’s Organisation (Azapo) supporters marched to Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa’s office on Monday to protest against crime and a lack of service delivery, the party said.
Azapo’s provincial secretary for political education, Mpumelelo Toyise, said his party is concerned about the high level of crime. It wants civilian gun ownership banned due to the high rate of gun-related violence.
Azapo raised concerns about service delivery. ”In some communities there are still no roads, electricity and running water. We demand that service delivery be speeded up,” Toyise said.
It also demanded that the Gauteng government investigate the shooting of its members during a door-to-door local election campaign in Duduza on the East Rand last year.
”Our unarmed members were shot by [Ekurhuleni] metro police. We took up the matter with the executive mayor, Duma KaNkosi, but nothing has happened.”
Toyise said protesters marched peacefully from Beyers Naude Square to the premier’s office where they handed over a memorandum to a government official. — Sapa