‘Iron fist’ to deal with lawlessness during protests

Government will use an “iron fist” to deal with the “seas of anarchy” emerging in the country in the form of violent strikes and service delivery protests, ANC elections head Ngoako Ramathlodi has said.

Ramathlodi and other ANC leaders, including secretary-general Gwede Mantashe, addressed journalists this afternoon in Johannesburg on the recent ANC lekgotla.

“Those who break the law must face the consequences,” he said, adding that people were destroying property in front of television cameras, not even hiding their faces.

He said these people should be arrested, convicted and “we should lock them up and throw away the key”.

Mantashe said people who got involved in violent protests “are actively destroying their right to protest” because they were forcing police to become involved in a situation police shouldn’t be involved in.