Calls for President Jacob Zuma to step down continue, with opposition parties now looking towards what they call a national day of action.
This gathering will be held on the day that Zuma celebrates his 75th birthday, on Wednesday, April 12.
Political parties, including the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), African People’s Convention (APC), Congress of the People (COPE), Democratic Alliance (DA), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and the United Democratic Movement (UDM), have joined forces in the calls for Zuma to stop down.
The parties will march to the Union Buildings, just days after thousands of South Africans took to the streets in protests held across the country, demanding that the president step down.
The parties say they believe the president should step down because:
– Zuma’s Cabinet reshuffle of four finance ministers in three years has plunged the country into ‘junk status’. International ratings agencies have downgraded South Africa and this will lead to high interest rates levied on home, car and student loans, to high food prices and to a bigger fiscal debt.
– Zuma used an unsubstantiated and bogus intelligence report to remove a competent minister and deputy minister of finance, and replaced them with under-experienced yes-men. This means he uses state security agencies to fight political battles.
– Zuma’s Cabinet reshuffle was not in the best interests of the country in that it protected and rewarded incompetent ministers who have thrown state institutions into disarray like Faith Muthambi (SABC) and Bathabile Dlamini (social grants).
– The Constitutional Court found that Jacob Zuma acted illegally, unlawfully and failed to uphold, defend and respect the Constitution in that he disregarded the public protector’s remedial action on the Nkandla corruption.
– Because this is a violation of the Constitution and his oath of office, Jacob Zuma is not eligible to be president of South Africa under a constitutional democracy and constitutional supremacy.
The EFF’s Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said the marches sent a message and were a vote of no confidence in Zuma, before calling on the country to join in the protest on Wednesday.
“We call on all South Africans to come out in even more numbers on 12 of April, 2017 on the National Day of Action to continue our rolling mass action against the Zuma regime. We must all not retreat until Zuma steps down and a new president is inaugurated in South Africa,” Ndlozi said.
