Civil society organisations, churches and business formations have expressed opposition to the EFF's planned national protest on Monday.
The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, Anglican Church, Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution, Helen Suzman Foundation, June and Andrew Mlangeni Foundation, Right to Know Campaign, Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse, and the Congress of Business Economics, among others, said the shutdown was an intimidation to the public.
A total of 37 organisations released a joint statement on Thursday, saying the protest would prevent people from going to work and school.
The EFF is taking to the streets to call for the resignation of President Cyril Ramaphosa and demanding an end to rolling blackouts.
“Every person in SA has the constitutional right of choice, association, movement, safety and freedom of expression, and the responsibility to similarly uphold the rights of others in this regard.
“Therefore, any attempt at preventing those who may not support the shutdown from going to work, to school or to university, infringes on their constitutional rights. Insisting that roads will be shut down and that no trucks, trains or buses will move, and hinting that businesses that remain open could be looted are subtle forms of intimidation that must be called out.
“We challenge the notion that a forcible shutdown is an accepted norm of protest. There is a clear distinction between the constitutional right to protest or to canvass support for a stayaway, and the fear mongering and forced shutdown of the country.
“SA is already in crisis, as evidenced by the daily load shedding, poor service delivery, poverty, unemployment, hunger, continued state capture and corruption, and malfeasance. Actions that only seek to deepen the crisis for narrow party-political gains can never be the solution,” read the statement.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said has ordered the country’s security forces to ensure there is no anarchy, intimidation and lawlessness during the protest.
“South Africa is governed by the rule of law and we are a constitutional democracy. Regime change can only come about through the vote. It cannot come about through anarchy and unleashing disorder in a country...
“We will not allow those who want to spread anarchy to do what they like here in South Africa. Yesterday we had a meeting of the National Security Council and we discussed this, and the security forces of our country are going to defend our people.
“They are going to make sure intimidation, anarchy and disorder do not prevail.
“Those who want to protest, by all means do so peacefully,” Ramaphosa said during a media briefing after a state visit by his Tanzanian counterpart President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the Union Buildings on Thursday.
kokam@sowetan.co.za
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