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S. African minister attacked while campaigning for ANC

28 April 2014 20:03 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. A South African cabinet minister has been attacked by rioters while campaigning for the ruling African National Congress (ANC) in a volatile mining area northwest of Johannesburg, authorities confirmed on Monday, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

The attack took place on Sunday when Sports and Recreation Minister Fikile Mbalula was on a door-to-door campaign tour in the platinum mining belt in the North West Province, police said.

Fikile's tour was interrupted when disgruntled residents in a shanty town threw rocks at him, police spokesperson Thulani Ngubane said.

Fikile was whisked away by bodyguards, and was unharmed, said Ngubane.

In ensuing violence, rioters burned a community hall, a municipal center and the house of a councillor for the ANC, according to Ngubane.

The residents attacked Fikile to show their anger at the ANC- led government for its inability to deliver adequate services to the area, a platinum belt that has been hard hit by a crippling strike since January 23, according to police.

The rioters belong to the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) which organizes the strike, sources said.

There have been reports of sporadic violence across the country in the run-up to the May 7 elections.

But the Electoral Observation Mission of the Southern African Development Community said the pre-election situation on the whole was peaceful.