The government would not tolerate the destruction of property and violence that often accompanied service delivery protests, President Jacob Zuma said on Tuesday.

"There is no cause in a democratic and free society, however legitimate, that justifies the wanton destruction of property and violence that we have witnessed," he said.

Zuma was addressing some 280 mayors and municipal managers from across the country at a meeting in Cape Town.

His remarks follow a wave of violent protests in municipalities, many of them accompanied by clashes with police.

Zuma said South Africa had a proud history of protest against wrongdoing and injustice.

"This is our heritage. It is what makes South Africa the vibrant democracy it is today, and will continue to be in the future.

"However, burning down libraries, torching houses of people, and looting spaza shops do not build a strong nation. It does not solve our legitimate problems."

Zuma said that while condemning the negative elements of some of the protests, it had to be acknowledged there were challenges that needed urgent attention.

He said the Cape Town meeting being held in a community hall in Khayelitsha was an attempt to arrive at ways to make municipalities work better.

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