Africa ( Commonwealth Union) _ The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), along with other opposition political parties and labor unions like the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC), the United Democratic Movement (UDM), and the South African Federation of Trade Unions, have declared Friday to be exactly 10 days before the National Day of Action (Saftu).
In an effort to put pressure on President Cyril Ramaphosa to resign amid rising living expenses, fuel prices, load shedding, crime, and other social ills plaguing the nation, the PAC, the country’s oldest political party, also announced this week that it would join the EFF in the mother of all protests.
This occurs only a few days after the union (Saftu) also announced that it will support the EFF’s planned March 20 national shutdown. Leigh-Ann Mathys, an EFF spokesperson, told The Star that this was more than just a march; it was a complete shutdown of the country. While the effects of such protest action vary from country to country, they all result in change globally.
“For instance, the president and prime minister of Sri Lanka resigned in 2022 as a result of the nation’s populace shutting down their government. The same year, Germans protested in the streets for energy relief. Thus, the government created a rescue plan, “Mathys added. She responded that the people would rule when asked if her party anticipated that Ramaphosa would quit as a result.
“That will happen whenever the populace demands that he resign. To rebel against the people is foolish, “She remarked.According to Mathys, the national shutdown has always been intended to include participation from all unions, religious organizations, civil society organizations, and individual citizens. The ongoing series of failures under Ramaphosa, including load shedding, affects more than simply EFF members and supporters.
All South Africans should take part in the national shutdown, according to Mathys, in order to address the severe social and economic problems that are choking the country. According to political analyst John Molepo in an interview with The Star, even though Ramaphosa wouldn’t quit as a result of the march, the shutdown would undoubtedly serve to exert pressure on him and inform common South Africans of the truth about Ramaphosa’s flaws.
