EFF Shutdown: Malema urges party members to ‘fight fire with fire’

National shutdown

Despite a court interdict handed down by the High Court in Cape Town preventing the EFF from causing disruptions during its scheduled shutdown on Monday, its leader Julius Malema told members that the protest will still go ahead as planned.

Malema addressed the branches of the EFF in Gauteng on Friday.

“Whether they kill or not kill, we will be on the streets of South Africa. We don’t care what the security cluster says or the judge says. No one can stop a revolution,” Malema said.

He reminded members that the protest is intended to stand up against those responsible for prolonging the suffering of black people and to make sure that Cyril Ramaphosa steps down from his position as President of SA.

“I’m here to remind you that we’ve got an appointment on Monday. We have no money; no weapons. We don’t have machine guns. We only have the bodies of African people to put on the picket lines,” Malema said.

“All types of intimidation have been issued by the state. All types of intimidation have been issued by private security guards. No private security guard or citizen has the right to shoot at another private citizen. If a private citizen shoots at you, you must protect yourself; respond fire with fire. We must never smile with anyone who wants to shoot us.”

“We will not provoke them or do anything unlawful. It is our right to protest and no charge, no President nor executive and minister shall stop this right. No one can take it away,” he added.

Toyota has confirmed that it will close its Prospecton plant south of Durban on Monday due to the planned national shutdown by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).

In an internal memo dated March 16, and shared by EFF leader on his Twitter account, Toyopta said: “As you are aware, EFF has declared a national shutdown on Monday, 20 March 2023. After careful consideration of this…, a decision has been made to declare Monday, 20th March 2023 a nonproduction day. As such, the plant will be closed for the day.

“The decision has been made taking into consideration the safety of our employees and their families, the risk of disruption of our supply chain, the potential risk of absenteeism that could result from this national shutdown, and the need to make proactive arrangements that could help us recover lost production and employee income where possible.”

News24 reported on Friday that the plant reopened in mid-August 2022, having been heavily impacted by the floods that submerged the plant and caused billions of rands in damages.

Former president Thabo Mbeki has urged the EFF to stick to its promise to demonstrate within the confines of the law on Monday.

“I watched a little bit when Julius [Malema] talked about the demonstrations yesterday [Wednesday] and he made the commitment that they don’t want violence, and that if there is any violence that happens, it would have been provoked by somebody else.

“I think that the common commitment by the organisers and the rest of the country is correct. By all means, I think people should demonstrate if they want to demonstrate on whatever the issue, but let us avoid this unnecessary conflict. The country doesn’t need it,” Mbeki told SABC News.

Police Minister Bhekli Cele has told police officers to fill the country’s prisons with anybody who breaks the law during the EFF’s planned national shutdown.

Police Minister Bheki Cele said on Friday that anyone caught breaking the law or forcing people to join the planned EFF nationwide shutdown will be arrested.

He said that his officers are ready and will be out in force.

“Those that would be marching have a right to march but there are restrictions and there are ways and measures to be followed.

“They do not have any permission or any right to harm anybody, to disturb anybody, to block any South African that wants to go about his or her job,” Cele said

“The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF)’s past track record shows they are capable of violence, and that Julius Malema can’t be trusted,” the Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni reportedly said on Friday.

“The same Julius Malema knows that he can’t be trusted on any word… we have seen pictures of them brandishing guns. We have seen that they are going to force people to get off work. You cannot as law enforcement sit aside Malema is promising us that there will be order. We must protect South Africans,” Eye Witness News quoted her as saying.

The minister said the police will show restraint as the EFF was looking for an excuse to criticise the government.

General Masemola instructs the security forces on parade to exercise their duties in terms of the country’s Constitutional mandate

The National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), General Fannie Masemola expected to visit  Gauteng police stations on Friday to assess the state of readiness ahead of the Economic Freedom Fighters’(EFF)’s planned national shutdown on Monday.

“The aim of the visit is to assess and ensure that Gauteng police are ready to police the planned protest that is set to take place on Monday, 20 March 2023.

“The Minister of Police, General Bheki Cele and the Provincial Commissioner of Gauteng, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela will form part of the visit to operations which will commence with an address to a multidisciplinary parade,” police said in a statement.

IOL reports that the Western Cape Education Department has confirmed that public schools will be closed on the day of the EFF’s planned national shutdown.

“We are aware of concerns that have been raised about the impact of the alleged national shutdown planned by the EFF on Monday.

“I can assure parents that public schools will be closed on Monday, 20 March 2023 – as it is a previously planned school holiday.

“The school calendar is gazetted by the national minister a full year in advance, and the school calendar for 2023 indicates that all public schools in the country have a special school holiday on March 20, 2023,” the report quoted Education MEC David Maynier as saying.

Cape Town – Economic  Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has reportedly rubbished concerns that his party’s planned nationwide protest will turn violent.

Malema assured businesses, political parties and South Africans that anarchy is not part of the party’s plan, Eye Witness News reported.

“It is the responsibility of law enforcement to always maintain peace and order in society. Where we think there will be marches and pickets of the EFF, there will be marshals, there will be security to make sure that agent provocateurs are isolated and are hand-delivered by the EFF to authorities,” the report quoted Malema as saying.

The red berets leader maintained that the shutdown is the most effective tool to call for the resignation of the president.

“A shutdown is not a 21st birthday party where you’re going to celebrate, and that’s it. It’s a launching of a campaign where the president must be put under pressure to step down,” said Malema.

ALSO READ | EFF shutdown: ‘Security forces stand ready’ – Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday warned the EFF, saying  that”regime change can only come about through a vote; it can’t come about through anarchy or disorder in the country”.

Ramaphosa said that law enforcement officials will not tolerate anarchy or disorder.

“Disorder and anarchy will not be allowed in South Africa. We will not allow those who want to spread anarchy to do what they like in South Africa.

“We are a constitutional democracy. Yesterday [Wednesday], we had a meeting of our national security council and we discussed this and the security forces of our country are going to defend our people,” Ramaphosa said while speaking at the Union Buildings during a state visit by Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

Last week, the EFF cautioned business owners to close their businesses to avoid the risk of looting during the planned national shutdown on March 20.

Malema said the national shutdown would demand an immediate end to load shedding and for Ramaphosa to resign. The shutdown, he added, would make the Zuma Must Fall protest look like “Micky Mouse”.

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Compiled by Betha Madhomu

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