PHUTI MOSOMANE
SOUTH African businesses, spaza shops and shopping malls battened down hatches on Sunday night and streets were being cleared of material such as tyres that could be used to start fires amid fears of the outbreak of violence during the EFF-led national shutdown on Monday.
Calls on social media for protesters to hoard tyres, and march in their thousands to the Union Buildings in Pretoria and other hotspot areas have rattled authorities, who believe that the EFF’s protests are aimed at ‘Regime Change’ and unseating President Cyril Ramaphosa from power.
ANC leaders such as the party’s Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula, on the other hand, urged their members and supporters on social media platforms, including WhatsApp, not to participate in a protest organized by an opposition party.
The EFF, an ultra-leftist socialist party led by a fiery political figure, Julius Malema, is demanding the resignation of Ramaphosa, who they claim, “is a Money Launderer in Chief, who kept millions of dollars in his mattrasses and sofa at Phala Phala Farm, undermining our economy and economic sovereignty.”
The red berets are also protesting over the high levels of unemployment, the high cost of living, gender-based violence and femicide, poor education, and the lack of free tertiary education.
Organisations such as the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU), United Democratic Movement (UDM), African Transformation Movement (ATM) and the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) will also take part in the protests.
Ahead of the national shutdown, some foreign governments, diplomats and investors said they were watching developments very closely.
A deeply concerned Ramaphosa vowed “zero tolerance” towards those aiming to wreak destruction and mayhem in South Africa.
“Coercing others to act in a way that you want is not a part of our democratic architecture and I wanted to say, very clearly: disorder and anarchy will not be allowed in South Africa. We will not allow those who want to spread anarchy to do what they like, here,” said Ramaphosa.
“Security forces in our country are going to defend our people. If you are going to intimidate them and unleash violence our security forces are going to defend the people of South Africa. That, I must clear.”
On Sunday, Ramaphosa went even further, and announced the deployment of 3,474 SA National Defence Force (SANDF) members countrywide ahead of the shutdown.
Parliament said SANDF troops would be working with the police to prevent criminal acts in light of the EFF-led national shutdown.
“The employment is in line with Section 201(2) (a) of the Constitution of South Africa of 1996 and Section 19 of the Defence Act of 2002. An amount of R166 562 058 is expected to be incurred for this deployment,” Parliament said in a media statement.
“The President’s letter will be brought to the attention of the members of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces through Parliament’s official papers, the Announcements, Tablings and Committee Reports (ATC).”
Parliament said National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) chairperson Amos Masondo have been informed about the deployment of soldiers on the streets.
“This will be in cooperation with the South African Police Services for the prevention and combating of crime as well as maintenance; and preservation of law and order in South Africa under ‘Operation Prosper’,” Parliament said.
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the State has a duty to protect its citizens from anarchy, violence and intimidation.
“The state has a responsibility to ensure that citizens can go on about their day tomorrow in a normal way and while doing so [ensure] that they are safe and not subjected to any anarchy or any form of violence,” said Magwenya.
“The President has stated that as much as the right to protest is guaranteed and protected under the constitution, equally that right is not absolute and that right is not a ticket to any form of anarchy, violence or disrupting and interrupting other people’s rights to go on with their lives.”
Western Cape police commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile said all systems were good to go ahead of the national shutdown on Monday.
“We will ensure that police and SANDF brutality is kept to a minimum, if there is any,” Patekile said.
The City of Cape Town’s law enforcement agencies said they have removed more than 2 000 tyres placed around the city, allegedly placed by EFF ‘agent provocateurs’.
Earlier, chairperson of the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure, Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili said if needs be, the country’s Special Forces will be called to assist with combat operations during shutdown on Monday.
“The NATJOINTS will not allow any barricading of national, provincial and municipal roads. Public violence, the burning of tyres and placing of rocks and debris to blockade roads, as well as looting will not be allowed. The destruction of property whether it be private or public property, as well as business and economic sites, is against the law,” Mosikili said.
“The NATJOINTS is also closely monitoring the situation and the social media mobilisation that is currently unfolding. Incitement of violence through any platforms including social media, as well as the sharing of inflammatory messages, are criminal offences according to the Cyber Crimes Act, where social media users can actually be charged for intimidation and incitement to commit violence.”
Last night, African Black Lawyers Foundation stated that the organization was in the process of seeking an interdict to prevent the deployment of SANDF members on the streets.
“The deployment of troops are to threaten and restrict members of the Economic Freedom Fighters, civic organisations and ordinary citizens who will be partaking in the National Shutdown on Monday,” the organisation said.
The organisation asked the court to ensure that “no member of the South African Police Services and SANDF may interfere with any of the rights of the protesters”.
United Democratic Movement (UDM) president Bantu Holomisa said that the deployment of troops was to protect the ANC.
“The day the soldiers realize that they are being used to protect the corrupt ANC regime against the struggling citizens they will feel ashamed. Period,” said Holomisa.
EFF’s member of parliament (MP) Mbuyiseni Ndlozi urged party members not to allow troops to search their properties without warrants.
“Fellow South Africans and fighters, police or the military is not allowed to search your houses without a search warrant. No one must enter your homes and start confiscating your things merely because they are wearing SAPS clothing,” Ndlozi warned South Africans on Sunday.
Political analyst and lecturer at the University of Limpopo Dr Metjie Makgoba said the EFF shutdown can be justified because the country is in a crisis and life cannot continue as normal.
“The national shutdown by the EFF and other supporting organisations is just to put meaning to what has been happening in the country, and to encourage government to act on it,” Makgoba said.
Thousands of protesters in several provinces, most of whom are university students, are already on the streets, singing struggle songs and calling for the removal of Ramphosa.
Riot police clashed with university students in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, and fired stun grenades and teargas in an attempt to disperse them.
Several people were arrested, according to various reports.
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