The national shutdown is aimed at getting the president to resign Photo Twitter @EFFSOUTHAFRICA
South Africa – On Wednesday, 15 March, the EFF confirmed its national shutdown will take place next Monday, 20 March, and has called on all South Africans to participate. The march is a protest against everything wrong in the country but calls for two things specifically, the end of loadshedding and the resignation of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The call for the president’s resignation comes after the Phala Phala scandal. The EFF have accused the president of presiding over a failing state and enabling corruption. For Kim Heller, Political Analyst, it does seem like the national shutdown is all about Ramaphosa and there is a legitimate cause for him to resign.
“It sounds like it is about one man. His own party for instance seems to find him not guilty and don’t demand accountability from him. Even in the Phala Phala matter we had MP’s voting to not prosecute him and go ahead with a very comprehensive panel report done by two senior judges.”
How Ramaphosa has handled the president role
Ramaphosa’s tenure as president has been hit and miss. Some even argue that he is no better than former President Jacob Zuma. While he promised big things in 2018, many of them have failed to materialise. With his expertise in business, many thought he would be the real deal. Heller is of the opinion that he has “done an appalling job” running the nation.
“This is a man we thought would be able to look after business, bring in investment and to solidify any economic gains that were made but he’s collapsed it all. Foreign investment hasn’t come in. He has handled the situation pretty badly. Since 2005 he has been speaking about electricity.”
This march, according to Heller, is more directed at the ANC to let them know citizens will not stand for this disrespect anymore. They have failed to properly run the country or take the right measures to improve the country.
The objective of the national shutdown
Along with the EFF, the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) plans to take part in the protest. It is the country’s second largest union with roughly 800 000 workers. Other smaller parties like the United Democratic Movement (UDM), African People’s Convention (APC) and Pan Africanist Congress oF Azania (PAC) will also be joining the protest. It is all about having huge numbers getting their voice heard.
“We need to have this unification of ordinary citizens who will force the government to take responsibility. The government is not taking itself seriously and its citizens seriously. We will see a march led by EFF with very legitimate bodies coming through.”
While there are fears the protest could bring violence, Heller, who has been part of many EFF marches and protests, is adamant this won’t happen. Not once has she witnessed any violence from the EFF and she expects it will be the same this time.
To hear more about what Kim Heller thinks about the national shutdown, listen to the podcast here:
