Durban — EFF president Julius Malema says he will ensure his party’s planned national shut-down on Monday does not turn violent, no life is lost and essential workers will get to their working stations without any harm.
This comes after the party has been threatened with legal action by the DA.
Malema said the protest aimed to give the government an awakening call and raise “our” voices.
“We have to shut down this country to show that we are concerned about the state (of) affairs. The government thought we were bluffing when we announced this and it will never come, but it has come,” said Malema.
During a press briefing, Malema said Monday was not going to be business as usual.
“We expect all races from different walks of life to join in because this is not just an EFF protest, but it is a national shutdown. We do not expect companies to support us and those that are threatening us must know that we are not scared and we are ready to defend ourselves,” said Malema.
He claimed the protest would have no impact on the economy; however, he said there was a possibility that it might not stop on Monday.
“It is just a protest, not a march, and we want to make sure that everyone is heard. Our point is clear and we have been here before, this is the beginning of a revolution. Ramaphosa will never have peace as long as he does not step down,” said Malema.
He added that many small businesses in South Africa had said they would join in and support the shutdown.
Malema cautioned the DA and Fidelity Security against planning to disrupt the planned shutdown.
DA spokesperson on finance Dion George said the call for a national economic shut-down must not be mistaken for a noble cause or a selfless act in service of South Africans. He said what the EFF was doing was a selfish and dangerous tactic to attempt to wreak havoc on the economy.
“We cannot afford to entertain reckless calls for a national shutdown. Such a move would have catastrophic economic consequences, unleashing a domino effect of severe job losses, business closures and devastating blows to our most vulnerable citizens,” George said.
CEO of Fidelity Services Group Wahl Bartmann said the group was closely monitoring the situation through its business intelligence centre and had already identified possible high-risk provinces.
“The group has put a comprehensive contingency operational readiness plan in place for any events that may play out on Monday ahead of the planned national shut-down.
“We will give the SAPS our full co-operation and assist where needed with both tactical land and air support. We will also advise customers, where necessary, of any high-risk areas, dangerous situations and no-go areas,” said Bartmaan.
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