ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)

South African police clashed on Wednesday with stone throwing supporters of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) who tried to confront members of the opposition Democratic Alliance party as they marched in central Johannesburg.

Thousands of supporters from both parties gathered in Johannesburg; the Democratic Alliance (DA) marched in what it said was a protest over high rates of unemployment in Africa's largest economy and the ANC marched to defend its headquarters in the city.

Police, who were between the lines of the rival supporters, opened fire briefly at ANC members clad in the party's yellow T-shirts, a Reuters reporter said. A Reuters witness said police fired rubber bullets at the ANC supporters, while a Reuters cameraman captured a series of small blasts leaving trails of white smoke, believed to have been caused by stun grenades deployed by the police.

Commentators have said the march by the DA, the country's big