South African police say the opposition protests scheduled for Monday are not just a shutdown, but an active bid to overthrow the government.
The opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is organising nationwide marches to protest against the country’s power crisis and has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to resign.
“This is an attempt to overthrow the government. This is not a shutdown, but it’s anarchy,” KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, said on Friday while briefing media on security plans to deal with threats posed by the protests, the bbc reported.
“The magnitude of threats differs from other planned shutdowns and that is why we have to be extra vigilant,” Mr Mkhwanazi was quoted by local media as saying.
According to the report, the police said they had not received notices of any planned gatherings in the province, adding that over 18,000 security officers would be deployed during the march.
Julius Malema, the EFF leader, insists the protests are not illegal and has warned that anyone who attempts to stop them would “meet their maker”,
President Ramaphosa on Thursday warned that anarchy will not be tolerated during the protests and called on security forces to “defend our people”.
Mr Ramaphosa said the only way to get him out of office and power is through a vote and ordered the country’s security forces to ensure there is no anarchy, intimidation and lawlessness during the EFF’s national shutdown on Monday.
“If you are going to restrict the rights of other people, coerce, intimidate and unleash violence, our security forces are going to defend the people of South Africa because we will not allow anarchy and disorder to prevail in this country. So we will see what happens,” he said.
Ramaphosa said it was “interesting” the planned shutdown was happening over a public holiday period. Tuesday is Human Rights Day and many workers have taken Monday off to enjoy a long weekend.
The president said because many people will be travelling, the government expects “full order and harmony, and the security forces stand ready to defend the people of South Africa”.
The EFF is demanding Ramaphosa’s exit and a resolution to ongoing load-shedding.
“Our politics is fractious, divided and [we are] going to the elections next year. Many parties, when you go to elections, start positioning themselves because they want to win the vote and they will often position themselves in a way which is completely against the governing party,” said Ramaphosa.
“South Africa is governed by the rule of law and we are a constitutional democracy. Regime change can only come about through the vote. It cannot come about through anarchy and unleashing disorder in a country.
“[The right to protest] is deeply embedded in our constitution and it is a right that we South Africans fought for and won so South Africans can protest against [that with which they disagree], but that right is not absolute.”
Nobody can just stand up and say they have the right to do whatever they want, he added.
“That right is a limited right and it’s not underpinned by violence and it is not a right that allows anyone to embark on anarchy or disorder. It is a right that says you must respect the rights of others.
“It is not a right for anyone to coerce anyone to do what they do not want to do. It is also not a right that you can intimidate and threaten others with violence and say, ‘If you do not do what we like, we are going to take action against you’.”
That, said Ramaphosa, goes against the ethos of the constitution.
“Coercing others to act in a way that you want is not part of our democratic architecture and I want to say very clearly that 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 here in South Africa. Yesterday we had a meeting of the National Security Council and we discussed this, and the security forces of our country are going to defend our people.
“They are going to make sure intimidation, anarchy and disorder do not prevail.
“Those who want to protest, by all means do so peacefully.”
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