Protesters in major SA cities call on president to step down

THOUSANDS of protesters gathered all over the country on Freedom Day yesterday to demand the immediate removal of President Jacob Zuma.

More than a thousand people attended the Cape Town march from Keizersgracht to Parliament. The crowd consisted of people of all colours and creeds, with many families and even a few dogs in attendance.

The march proceeded peacefully, with the crowd chanting “freedom” and singing an anthem created by the organisers: “This is our land, we’re gonna take a stand. This is our right, to fight for what is right.”

Calls for the president to step down has been mounting since his decision to fire former finance minister Nhanhla Nene last year, with the anti-Zuma sentiment growing after the Constitutional Court judgment against him last month.

The Cape Town protesters, accompanied by several police vehicles, made their way to Parliament, where several speeches were made.

The protest was organised under the #ZumaMustFall banner, with several religious groups and civic organisations also involved in the planning.

The Joburg march also drew large crowds, with protesters gathering in the city centre.

The People’s Assembly, an apolitical movement of youth, communities, churches and activists, marked Freedom Day by protesting at the Library Gardens.

A few hundred people attended the event, chaired by activist Godfrey Phiri.

“We are gathered here to ensure that our rights are not trampled upon by politicians. If we remain silent, we are giving them more power to continue looting,” he told the crowd.

Cope president Mosiuoa Lekota said Zuma was no longer in charge of running the country and had outsourced this responsibility to his cronies. “We are governed by a group of men and women who want to run the affairs of the nation according to their wishes. They want to satisfy their wives, girlfriends and spouses (at our expense),” he said to loud applause.

Less than 200 people took to the Durban streets to call on Zuma to step down.

In apparent excuse for the poor show, United Front provincial chairman Mlungisi Mkhize told the small crowd at Durban City Hall that the march had faced a challenge of buses.

“It (Freedom Day) is an important day, but I’m not sure if we have a reason to celebrate,” Mkhize said.

In Cape Town, Christelle Scheepers, of #ZumaMustFall, thanked the crowd for coming out on a holiday and said the number of political parties present was encouraging. She pointed out a lone ANC supporter in specific, commending her for attending and applauding her outfit, which was covered in the image of Nelson Mandela.

The ANC supporter, Vuyiswa Mngupane, said she thought it was important for her to join the protest.