Malema made these remarks while addressing the media on Sunday. The shutdown is planned for 20 March.
“The national shutdown means that there will be no school, no university, factories and no business will be operating on that day. All municipalities and all major cities will be shut own and there will be no work on that day. All major roads will be barricaded and all ports of entry including roads that lead to borders will be closed,” said Malema.
“We cannot fold our arms and do nothing when the ANC government and Cyril Ramaphosa, who is involved in a lot of criminal and questionable dealings and yet protected by law enforcement agencies.”
Malema said the EFF believes the time has come for South Africans demand their dignity and lives back.
“The EFF leadership will be engaging with all taxi associations to support the national shutdown and we encourage all our structures at all levels to engage taxi associations and all people to support the national shutdown.
“We call on all people of South Africa to join us in their numbers for the national shutdown to demand our dignity and lives back. We can never allow and should never allow to be led into the dark ages by an incompetent and useless president.”
Meanwhile, the East London Magistrate’s court ruled in favour of the State using video footage of the EFF leader discharging a firearm during the party’s fifth birthday celebrations at Sisa Dukashe Stadium in East London in 2018. The authenticity of the video footage at the centre of the State’s case against Malema and his bodyguard, Adriaan Snyman, was brought into question by the defence.
Malema and Snyman were charged for the contravention of the Firearms Control Act after the video emerged showing the EFF leader firing an automatic rifle at the stadium in 2018.
Magistrate Twanet Olivier ruled that the State can use the video footage, based on its relevance, and rejected the defence’s suggestion for a trial-within-a-trial and instead ordered that the trial continue until Friday.