The Tshwane riots occurred in the South African city of

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foot ...

and the surrounding City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality for several days from 20 June 2016, leading to the deaths of at least five people.

Riots

The protests were sparked by dissatisfaction with the appointment of

Thoko Didiza Angela Thoko Didiza (born 2 June 1965) is a South African politician currently serving as Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development. She held the post of Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs from 17 June 1999 to 22 May 2006 ...

as the incumbent

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...

's (ANC) Tshwane mayoral candidate in the upcoming South African municipal elections of 2016. By 22 June forty people had been arrested for participating in the riots. By the time the riots ended in Tshwane on 23 June a total of 54 people had been arrested. Rioters looted businesses and attacked members of the public including immigrants and small traders. Nineteen busses worth R28-million had been torched in the riots within the first two days of rioting with the worst rioting occurring in the areas of

Mamelodi Mamelodi, part of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, is a township set up by the then apartheid government northeast of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. Etymology "Mamelodi" is the name derived from the Sepedi word with the prefix b ...

‚

Atteridgeville Atteridgeville is a township located to the west of Pretoria, South Africa. It is located to the east of Saulsville, to the west of West Park; to the north of Laudium and to the south of Lotus Gardens. The settlement was established in 1939, a ...

‚

Mabopane Mabopane is a residential suburb in South Africa. It is situated in the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, to the north of Pretoria in Gauteng. History Proclamation Mabopane was proclaimed in 1959 as a black-only residential settlement by the th ...

‚

Soshanguve Soshanguve is a township situated about 30 km north of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa along Mabopane, and Ga-Rankuwa. The name Soshanguve is an acronym for Sotho, Shangaan, Nguni and Venda, thus showing the multi-ethnic composition of the ...

and

Hammanskraal Hammanskraal is a functional, trans-provincial region anchored in northern Gauteng Province, South Africa. The region consists of multiple, residential, industrial and commercial areas in a decentralized settlement pattern. History The historica ...

. Minister of State Security David Mahlobo stated that the protests were started by ANC members "who were not satisfied with the processes" that resulted in Didiza being appointed the party's candidate for

mayor of Tshwane The Mayor of Tshwane is the head of the local government of Pretoria, South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coast ...

. The

ANC Youth League The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) is the youth wing of the African National Congress (ANC). As set out in its constitution, the ANC Youth League is led by a National Executive Committee (NEC) and a National Working Committee (NW ...

went on to accuse supporters of ANC member and incumbent Tshwane mayor,

Kgosientso Ramokgopa Kgosientsho or Kgosientso "Sputla" Ramokgopa (born 25 January 1975) is a South African politician who was the Mayor of Tshwane from 2010 to 2016. He was also a Member of the Executive Council in the Gauteng provincial government in 2019 and c ...

, as the people responsible for initiating the riots. Riots spread to

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

by 1 July 2016 with protesters stoning vehicles and torching buses along the

N2 highway The N2 is a national route in South Africa that runs from Cape Town through George, Gqeberha, East London, Mthatha and Durban to Ermelo. It is the main highway along the Indian Ocean coast of the country. Its current length of makes it ...

outside the neighbourhood of Nyanga. The protests in Cape Town were sparked by the announcement that Xolani Sotashe was to be the ANC's choice as candidate for the

mayor of Cape Town The Mayor of Cape Town is the head of the local government of Cape Town, South Africa; currently that government takes the form of the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality. In the past, the position of Mayor has varied between that of an ...

References

{{Political history of South Africa Tshwane riots Tshwane riots Tshwane riots Tshwane riots Riots and civil disorder in South Africa