EFF leader Julius Malema has provided more details on the national shutdown. File Picture: Itumeleng English/African News Agency (ANA)
Pretoria - EFF leader Julius Malema yesterday accused the DA of planning to plant agents to disrupt its national shutdown protest on Monday in order to paint the red berets as a group of violent people.
However, the DA denied Malema’s allegations; national spokesperson Solly Malatsi described the utterances as “absolutely rubbish”.
Malema was addressing the media at the party’s headquarters in Johannesburg yesterday, following a number of concerns raised about the shutdown.
He said that the aim of the national shutdown was to force President Cyril Ramaphosa to resign as leader of the country, and to demand an end to load shedding.
He emphasised that essential workers would be in place on the day to maintain the provision of health care and law and order.
“All the essential services will be protected and we will make sure that workers who provide essential services have access to their workplace without any difficulty.
“That includes the police and health workers. Our structures will be co-operative and we will make sure that the clinics and hospitals will be functional,” he said.
Malema also dismissed insinuations that their national shutdown might clash with the ongoing National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) strike.
“We will not tamper with the Nehawu strike. We are not going to be used to fight a union that is fighting for the rights of the workers,” he said.
The EFF also announced plans to hold discussions with the national office of the SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) to foster an understanding that the shutdown will be taking place.
“Our meeting with Santaco is a courteous meeting to say that there will be protesters on the roads and the taxi (owners) should take that into consideration as they prepare for that day to operate.
“There shouldn’t be unnecessary conflict and confrontations between ourselves and the taxi (drivers) because we all belong to the same class. Therefore, to have the working class fighting each other is to please capital,” Malema said.
Malema added that there would be no meeting point, but pockets of EFF branches voicing their frustrations at the lack of services wherever they are.
“It’s a protest; it does not have a formula,” he said.
“We don’t want looting on March 20 but you know that if shops are opened, people take advantage of those shops and engage in illegal activities. We are not saying ‘close your shops’, but we are making them aware there will be a protest,” he said.
Speaking on violence, Malema said there was no truth to speculations that the shutdown will be violent.
“We have been made aware that the DA has hired agents provocateurs who are going to be planted among the protesters of the EFF so that they can undermine the peaceful protest of the EFF.
“Everything else is about what the agents provocateurs would have done to divert attention from the demand for Ramaphosa’s resignation.
“The DA has taken a decision to defend Ramaphosa and is masquerading as protecting business and the economy of South Africa.”
The EFF leader discouraged violence, but warned that anyone who plans to stop him must prepare to “meet his maker”.
“Some boys are feeling themselves all the time here threatening me … Let any boy come and try to stop me, he will meet his maker. When he leaves in the morning, he must kiss his mother goodbye.
“I’ve got no time for boys. Let him try to stop me on the 20th of March, he will meet his maker. If my right cannot be defended by the media (and) by law enforcement, I have got a legal obligation to defend myself.
“The fighters have a responsibility to isolate agents provocateurs and outside forces who want to hijack the march and give it a bad name.
“Anyone who threatens the rights of the fighters and fellow South Africans, defend yourselves.
“We are coming in peace, we are not fighting anyone, but don’t try us.”
Pretoria News