Unrest in S.Africa township as vote counting finishes

Vote counting in South Africa’s election that returned Nelson Mandela’s ANC to power wrapped up on Saturday, while the army was deployed overnight to quell violence in a Johannesburg township over alleged voter fraud.

Completed results showed the African National Congress won 62.15 percent of the ballots, while the main opposition Democratic Alliance came in second with 22.23 percent.

Meanwhile the military was deployed overnight Friday in Johannesburg’s Alexandra township after police used stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse protesting crowds, according to police spokesman Neville Malila.

“Last (Friday) night there was army deployment,” he told AFP, adding that police remained in the restive former blacks-only area.

The military appeared to have left the area by Saturday, according to an AFP photographer.

Authorities arrested 59 people for public violence after a crowd of up to 400 people burnt tyres and barricaded streets in protest at the arrest of other rioters the day before.

The unrest reportedly follows allegations of vote-rigging in the area during Wednesday’s general polls, which marked 20 years of democracy since the end of apartheid.

Military spokesmen could not be immediately reached for comment.