Violent South African protests over housing, jobs and lack of basic services had to end, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe said, as the country marked the 50th anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre.
For the past two months, protests in poor black townships have become an almost daily occurrence with police using water canons and rubber bullets to disperse protesters armed with rocks and stones.
Mr Motlanthe, speaking at the commemoration of the killing of 69 people at Sharpeville black township a half century ago which thrust apartheid onto the world stage, said a lesson could be learned from those protesters who did not burn libraries and loot public facilities.
‘They marched peacefully to the police stations to hand over their pass books - the badges of slavery. Therefore, in a democratic era, I urge you to use democratic institutions available to us to voice our grievances and demands,’ he said.
The massacre of 69 people, many shot in the back by apartheid-era police on 21 March 1960, came after a protest against laws forcing blacks to carry pass books, or identity documents, at all times.
The killing was seen as a turning point in the struggle against apartheid as the African National Congress abandoned non-violent protests and launched an armed struggle against the white-minority government.
Analysts say the protests by poor and unemployed South Africans, many still living in shacks almost 16 years after apartheid ended, could intensify ahead of the soccer World Cup being held in Africa for the first time from 11 June to 11 July.
Mr Motlanthe reiterated that the government aimed to improve the lives of millions of poor South Africans.
resident Jacob Zuma, who promised to improve the lives of the poor while campaigning for election last April, is facing an uphill battle to deliver on those promises soon after South Africa emerged from its first recession in 17 years.
