Freedom Day:
• Opposition parties, civil society and labour come out in support of the Freedom Movement
Opposition party leaders including Mmusi Maimane of the DA, left, announced at Uncle Tom’s Community Centre in Johannesburg on Thursday that a march would be held at Freedom Park in Pretoria on Freedom Day to protest against President Jacob Zuma’s rule.
Opposition parties have agreed to throw their weight behind a new formation, the Freedom Movement, in an effort to remove President Jacob Zuma from office.
Protests against Zuma still dominate the public discourse. The movement, made up of political parties, civil society, labour and faith-based organisations, will now gather in Pretoria on Freedom Day next week.
Members of the movement, who briefed the media in Soweto on Thursday, were joined by United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa and DA leader Mmusi Maimane.
Holomisa said the invitation to join the Freedom Movement was discussed at a meeting of opposition party leaders earlier this week. Represented at the meeting were the DA, UDM, EFF, COPE, Inkatha Freedom Party and the African Christian Democratic Party.
“Some parties said, ‘Well, we will encourage our people to participate, but we are exhausted from the march we had last week in terms of resources’,” Holomisa said. He hoped people who lived in and around Pretoria would show up on the day.
“We said we need to work with civil society, but as to whether each party will commit financially … we’ve just spent a lot of money last week and so, it depends on each party, but in principle, we support this initiative,” Holomisa said. Opposition parties marched to the Union Buildings last week, calling on Zuma to resign.
“It’s expensive, we have been partner in two marches already…. But we hold the view that there comes a time in our country, when you need to stand up and do something for your nation,” Maimane said.
Other groups that joined the movement were the Federation of Unions of SA, trade union Solidarity and the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse.
Political analyst Prince Mashele, who was representing civil society, said the immediate objective of the Freedom Movement was to help facilitate a large-scale protest at Parliament the day the motion of no confidence in Zuma is debated.