Urgent Media Alert: Lephalale Unemployment Forum to sleep outside Luthuli House tonight!

The Lephalale Unemployment Forum (LUF), a civic group from Lephalale, Limpopo, is sleeping outside Luthuli House until ANC leadership addresses a campaign of violence and intimidation waged by members of the ANC in Lephalale.

These incidents have happened in the lead-up to a planned march and ‘shutdown’ of the town calling for the resignation of Lephalale Mayor, Jack Moloko Maeko, an ANC leader.

Among the incidents reported by LUF leaders:

– On Wednesday 28 November, an ANC member posted to Facebook vowing that “Cdes have died for struggle we will kill for struggle” and promising to “Defend Lephalale by arms or any other thing…”

– On Friday 30 November, the LUF leadership had to take refuge in the SAPS station after being attacked by a crowd of ANC supporters, some of whom were allegedly armed. LUF members were only able to return to their homes after midnight. One ANC member was arrested after assaulting a SAPS official.

– On Saturday 1 December, while mobilising for the proposed 3 December ‘shutdown’, LUF leaders were stopped in what they thought was a traffic police roadblock, only to discover the roadblock had been set up by ANC members. They escaped in their car to take refuge in the SAPS station, but not before a scuffle that left one member bleeding and in need of bandages. Again, they had to take refuge at SAPS until late in the evening.

After realising that Maeko and his supporters could stop at nothing to prevent LUF’s right to protest, LUF leaders have travelled all the way to Luthuli House this morning to call on ANC leadership to end the violence in Lephalale.

However, so far they have only been received by an official in the Deputy Secretary General’s office. The Lephalale Unemployment Forum leadership has decided to sleep out on the sidewalk at Luthuli House until they can be heard by an ANC leader.

For enquiries, please contact:

1. M.N Seanego (Lephalale Unemployment Forum Chairperson): 076 287 7346

2. Pauline Ngakamone (Lephalale Unemployment Forum, Deputy Chairperson): 0784985563

3. Bongani Xezwi (Outreach Organiser, Right2Know Campaign): 082 525 3949