Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng provincial leader John Moodey, known as the general, on Friday has to step in to apparently save about eight ANC supporters from getting the whipping of their lives from DA supporters during a Freedom Day celebration in Soshanguve, north of Pretoria.

ANC supporters allegedly tried twice to disrupt celebrations on the day, but on the second occasion a mass of blue shirts surrounded them and disarmed them of their rocks, stones and sjamboks. They were on the verge of being beaten up when Moodey stepped in.

It occurred at the site where Tshwane Mayor Solly Msimanga had built 40 houses from the sale of the mayoral mansion and was about to inspect them with Moodey and DA leader Mmusi Maimane when the group stopped them.

First the group of alleged ANC members tried to stop DA members as they were getting ready early in the morning at the site of the houses; the ANC allegedly claimed it was their turf. To keep the peace, the DA decided to move about 500 metres away, they told The Citizen.

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The second incident happened when Maimane, after addressing supporters, went to the houses to inspect them and “look at the quality to make sure it is good enough for our people, unlike the poor RDP houses that are being built by the ANC”, Moodey said.

He told the Citizen the new houses were plastered on the inside and the roof structure was of a higher quality. About 28 owners of these houses have already been given their full title deeds.

“These guys were allegedly being instigated by an ANC ward councillor to prevent us from having the event, but they failed. They came in a white Nissan bakkie speeding down the road towards us. I thought they were not going to intimidate us; this is also our South Africa that we fought for. Where were these youngsters when the apartheid police beat us almost to death?” Moodey asked.

He said the troublemakers were rude and insulted supporters, and when it became evident his supporters were going to beat them up, he and other leaders stepped in.

“The activists were really gatvol,” Moodey explained.

The police fired two shots and a stun grenade to disperse the crowd.

But it was Maimane who called for the crowd to calm down and apply discipline, “because we stand for discipline”, he said.

Moodey said he has to applaud the police for handling the situation with control and calmness, and there were no injuries in the end.