THE EFF’s national planned shutdown has the country on its knees.
Various leaders and businesses have raised concerns on the timing of the planned shutdown on March 20.
According to its leader Julius Sello Malema, the shutdown has to do with ailing economy and wants to hold President Cyril Ramaphosa accountable ““because he has violated his oath of office” and “therefore we cannot fold our arms when the country is on a brink of collapse.”
On Monday, the EFF released a statement addressing the DA’s “frivolous legal action against the planned shutdown”, saying it is built on baseless claims.
During his briefing on Tuesday, Malema said the DA has an issue with the protest because “the white man is the self-appointed supervisors of black skin”.
Regarding the future generation, the ‘red-beret’ boss said the need to raise their voices in the face of challenges, dismissing concerns about the shutdown’s economic impact.
Malema said the youth is “going to ask us what we have done when the country was faced with so many challenges and the only thing we can do is to raise our voices.”
He said if white men “are not involved, they think there’s going to be violence. That’s why there were three white people talking to ‘clever blacks’ on Monday, during the DA’s briefing”.
According to Malema, the DA’s “baseless claim of intimidation and predicted violence is part and parcel of the DA’s racist philosophical outlook, which depends strongly on the supposed irrationality of black people”.
He said this stems from the “racist presumption that African people have no capacity to express themselves in a peaceful manner”.
He also pointed out essential services won’t be affected such as clinics and hospitals- indicating they won’t meddle in Nehawu strike.
Meanwhile, Fidelity Security Services Group, through its head of investigations and retired KwaZulu-Natal Hawks head Johan Booysens, has written to national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola for an “urgent briefing” with the police.
According to Fidelity, the briefing will come up with contingency plans to deal with possible disruptive behavior during the planned march.
“As you are aware, various groupings are envisaging a national shutdown on the 20th of March 2023,” reads Booysen’s letter to Masemola and the police’s top brass.
“Obviously, the threats, which are circulating in the media, are disconcerting and manifest in an emerging psyche of fear and apprehension by business and the public.
“To this extent, I request the security industry to be briefed by SA Police Service [SAPS] to mitigate potential risk to limb and property and to allay fears of public instability.”
Booysen believes Fidelity’s experience and massive security personnel numbers place the group in an ideal position to help maintain order during the shutdown.
In his view, the police alone are not capable of the job after dropping the ball during the unrest that claimed over 300 lives in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal in July 2021.
He wrote further: “It will be appreciated if an urgent briefing to the security industry can be facilitated within this week to ensure contingency plans are in place, and [to figure out] to what extent the security industry can assist SAPS to prevent looting with the potential loss of life, injuries, and damage to property.”
Fidelity sent Masemola a report explaining how the security company has studied what could potentially be a violent march. The group based its assessment on public remarks by EFF leader Julius Malema following his official declaration of the protest on January 29.
The security group believes that Malema “strategically chose the date of March 20” to ensure that many people join the march, including workers who plan to take leave to have an extended long weekend with Tuesday being the Human Rights Day public holiday.
“As a result, a large turnout is expected,” according to Fidelity.
A prediction of a large turnout, according to Fidelity, is backed up by other ongoing protests such as one at Wits University, National Education, Health and Allied Workers Unions pay strike, and “many of the daily protests which will coincide with the planned shutdown”.
Fidelity told Masemola that bringing private security companies on board will also help minimise the possible impact of travel disruptions, as most highways in major cities will be affected.
“ANC members may take issue with the fact that the EFF wants to remove President Cyril Ramaphosa from office. Therefore, conflict and violence may erupt between members of the EFF and the ANC,” reads the letter.
Image (EFF boss Julius Malema says the planned national shutdown will go ahead despite threats from other organisations).
