New movement aims to remove president

A COALITION of civil society organisations‚ political parties‚ trade unions and religious groupings has announced the formation of a broad-based movement designed to remove President Jacob Zuma from office.

The coalition‚ known as the Freedom Movement‚ also said it aimed to restore power to the people.

The main event the coalition plans to have is a gathering at Free- dom Park in Pretoria on Thursday.

It wants to protest against what it referred to as a crisis of a political leadership that had allowed the state to be hijacked by corrupt interests at the expense of the needs and aspirations of the poor.

The coalition said the political mismanagement of the country had now reached boiling point as it threatened to collapse the economy. The country’s sovereign debt junk status “means the cost of living for ordinary South Africans will become more unbearable”, it said in a statement read out by political analyst Prince Mashele. “Many will lose their jobs. “The unemployed will have no hope of finding employment.

“Food and transport will be more expensive.

“It will be harder for families with bonds to repay bank loans.” It said while millions languished in poverty‚ Zuma and his business associates were engineering changes in government to enrich a few politically connected friends.

It said the removal of former finance minister Pravin Gordhan in a cabinet reshuffle last month was the culmination of a plot by Zuma and his associates to capture the state and loot resources from the Treasury.