ANC says two members attacked in KZN while on way to vote - TimesLIVE

The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal says two of its members were injured and taken to hospital after an alleged attack in Abaqulusi, while police say the incident was not politically motivated.

The party alleged on Wednesday that IFP supporters assaulted its voters on their way to vote in Siyaphambili voting district in ward 4 of Abaqulusi local municipality.

Police said those involved knew one another and were under the influence of alcohol.

“Police advised them that should they wish to open a case while sober, they are welcome to do so and police will register the case for investigation. It is important to mention what the people were fighting about was not politically related,” police spokesperson Col Robert Netshiunda said.

When approached again, ANC provincial spokesperson Sifiso Sonjica maintained that two party members had been injured and taken to hospital.

The IFP was not immediately available for comment.

The ANC said in its statement that the matter had been reported to police. It called for police and the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to intervene.

“These cowardly acts of political violence, directed at ANC voters on their way to exercise their constitutional right to vote, are a direct attack on our democracy and an affront to the hard-won freedoms of our people,” the ANC said.

The party called on the IEC to safeguard voters and ensure they could cast their ballots freely, and on police to investigate the reported assaults.