ActionSA founder and leader Herman Mashaba said on Tuesday that his party would approach President Cyril Ramaphosa to appoint an independent body to probe the acts of lawlessness and unrest that recently took place in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.

Mashaba said his party did not have faith that Parliament would successfully handle the inquiry into the unrest and said what had occurred was high treason.

He said despite the cost, an inquiry such as the State Capture Commission, led by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, has opened the eyes of the country.

Mashaba said the destruction of the economy, owing to the unrest, was as a result of factionalism in the ruling African National Congress (ANC).

He called for the arrests of those who were involved in the insurrection and said ring leaders must be prosecuted by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

Mashaba questioned how Parliament could act on the insurrection when some of its members were involved.

ActionSA will also approach the Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane to investigate.

ActionSA Gauteng leader John Moodey said his party is alarmed and angry at what occurred in the country.

He said he was concerned about “a disconnect in the security cluster”.

“Political rivalry in the ANC has put the lives of South Africans at risk,” he said.  

Mashaba said it was worrying to hear reports that law enforcement agencies were told not to act on events and he called for Ministers to be held accountable.

He said Ramaphosa must be held responsible by the electorate, while  Moody accused the ANC of abandoning the interests of South Africans.

ActionSA KwaZulu-Natal leader Makhosi Khoza said the events that crippled the economy left no room for anything other than insurrection.

She stated there were political faces to the unprecedented insurgency and said it was worrying that no perpetrators had been apprehended after the recent destruction.

She accused the government of not dealing with the root cause of the problem and urged Ramaphosa to fire Ministers who failed to act on the recent events.

ActionSA Western Cape leader Vytjie Mentor called the unrest domestic terrorism and said South Africans deserved accountability from the President.

She questioned whether Parliament could be equipped to hold an inquiry into what happened, and said the accused Ministers could not be "the accused and referees on the matter”.

Mentor believes the only way to ensure accountability is to appoint a retired judge to lead an inquiry.