DURBAN: THE ANC KwaZulu-Natal headquarters in central Durban was attacked on Sunday, by a man who claimed that his sole intention was to kill party leaders president Cyril Ramaphosa and former president Jacob Zuma.
Nhlakanipho Ntombela, the spokesperson of the governing party in the province, said that without provocation, the unnamed man hit the front door of the building with a brick, causing considerable damage.
Shortly afterwards, the man was overpowered and handed over to the police. He is being kept in custody, pending further investigations.
“We are obviously disturbed by this incident,” Ntombela said.
“This is not just any ordinary building, but a revolutionary house of the African National Congress. So, an attack on it by any individual must be viewed as an attack on our glorious movement and all the noble ideals that it represents. It is simply unacceptable, and constitutes an affront against democracy and the social transformation that we envision, which will lead to a fair, just and peaceful society that we can all be proud of inhabiting.
“We are nevertheless consoled by the relative(ly) limited extent of the damage; and the fact that our security detail was vigilant and acted quickly.
“We are pleased that the alleged perpetrator was swiftly apprehended and handed over to law enforcement authorities. Therefore, at this juncture, we do not want to speculate on the suspected motive for this attack, and would like to allow the law to take its course.”
When he was arrested and put in a police van, the man was asked why he hit the building and he allegedly said he wanted to kill Ramaphosa and Zuma.
“I wanted to kill Ramaphosa… and Zuma who is hiding underground, I want them. Please bring them here, I want to kill them, I am not afraid of them. Zuma must bring his machine gun… and shoot me,” the man said.
Political Bureau