In a bid to force out South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa, over his handling of the country’s economy and energy crisis, hundreds have marched to the presidential residence to demand his resignation
South Africa‘s opposition, on Monday, held rallies under tight security.
But turnout was low and calls for strikes went unheeded as the government mobilised thousands of police, backed by troops, to stifle any unrest.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), the country’s third-largest party, had called for a “national shutdown,” sparking fears of a repeat of bloody clashes and looting just under two years ago.
Under close escort and with a police helicopter overhead, several thousand protesters marched in the capital Pretoria to Ramaphosa’s official residence, passing the seat of government, the Union Buildings.
“Our demands are simple, we want Ramaphosa to leave this house, to leave this house with immediate effect,” EFF’s firebrand leader Julius Malema told protesters.
“We are here to demand the end of load shedding (electricity outages), to demand Ramaphosa to step down and if he doesn’t… we will force him to step down,” he said.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that in other parts of the country, protesters gathered in groups varying in size from dozens to hundreds.
The protest call rekindled memories of clashes in July 2021 that saw the worst violence since the end of apartheid and advent of democracy in 1994.
At least 350 people were killed when protests sparked by the jailing of ex-president Jacob Zuma spiralled into riots and looting.
As the protests loomed, the authorities mobilised nearly 3,500 troops to assist police and warned they would deal firmly with any unrest.
“The mayhem and anarchy that was threatened did not materialise due to the strong presence and visibility of law enforcement authorities,” Ramaphosa’s spokesman, Vincent Magwenya, stated in a text message.
“Citizens who were not party to any demonstration were able to carry on with their normal daily activities. “There was no shutdown. Some businesses closed down due to intimidation and fear of violence.” he said.
The EFF told followers their actions “must be militant and radical” but to behave peacefully and watch out for provocateurs.
Eighty-seven protesters were arrested for violence-related offences overnight, according to the police, who gave no details of the offences.
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