South Africa’s third-largest political party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is planning to embark on a nationwide march over the current state of the country’s socioeconomic issues on Monday next week.
This is in addition to calling for the president’s resignation. As expected, the upcoming rally has so far garnered mixed reception, as it has become a cause for concern for some, while supported by others.
This is primarily due to the potential disruptions to the daily operation of many of the country’s businesses. The concerns over intimidation and road blockades are not unfounded, however, as it has been reported the EFF has said that companies should be closed during its demonstration on Monday.
On Wednesday, the police, the Defense Force, and State Security Agency, which comprise the government's security cluster, reassured the public that the EFF's demonstration on Monday is not a shutdown and that the protest action will be closely monitored to prevent any acts of criminality.
“We are assuring South Africans that as the national joint operational structure, which is a structure which is led by the SAPS, we have put measures in place to prevent and combat any forms of criminality and that there is no National shut down, but we are aware of a planned protest,” said SAPS Spokesperson Athlenda Mathe
She added that this means they will take a zero-tolerance stance towards any form of lawlessness, including the barricading of national and provincial municipal roads.
In response, the CEO of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), Cas Coovadia, stated that they are encouraged by SAPS’s statement on the matter, as it assures them that law and order will be prioritized.
While BUSA recognises the people’s right to protest, they condemn the party’s public statements on halting business operations during their march.
The EFF warning of the looting of businesses, shops, factories, and other service providers if they do not stop operations in support of the national shutdown is a complete disregard for the constitutional rights of others. Law enforcement agencies must protect the rights of all South Africans.
Despite having received support from the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) as willing participants, other political parties, such as the Democratic Alliance (DA), Action SA and the African National Congress (ANC) are opposed to the march.
The taxi industry has also reported having said that it is not in support of the march, and that it will be business as usual for them on Monday.
BUSA CEO also said that more focus must be placed on reviving the country’s economy by making it a welcoming environment for foreign investment through reforms than stoking further societal instability.
