Two ANC activists injured on way to vote in South Africa
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on TimesLIVE
Two African National Congress members were injured and hospitalised after an alleged attack in Abaqulusi while they were heading to the polls. South African police say the dispute, involving people who knew one another, was not politically motivated, while the ANC is calling for an investigation, TimesLIVE reports.
Two members of the ANC, South Africa’s governing African National Congress, were injured and taken to hospital after a confrontation in Abaqulusi, according to the party’s provincial branch cited by TimesLIVE. The ANC says its activists were travelling to the polls in the Siyaphambili electoral district, in Ward 4, when they were allegedly attacked by supporters of the IFP, the Inkatha Freedom Party.
The South African police dispute the political nature of the incident. Its spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda, said the people involved knew one another and were under the influence of alcohol. He said they could file complaints once sober so that the matter could be investigated.
The ANC maintains that the two injured people were hospitalised and calls on the police and the Electoral Commission of South Africa to protect voters and guarantee a free vote. The calls came after enhanced security measures for ballot papers were put in place on 3 November and the announcement of a police deployment that could operate for up to 24 hours on polling day.
