While at the national level, the government, political parties and NGOs are opposed to the EFF’s planned shutdown, in the North West’s Dr. Kenneth Kaunda District, local businesses, churches, civil society and the taxi industry are dead set against the planned mass protests on Monday.
However, the EFF’s Regional spokesperson Banele Faku said they are more than prepared and all 84 wards are preparing to close down all roads across Dr. Kenneth Kaunda.
Faku said unemployment forums, civil society, and other stakeholders will be joining in.
“We have received a very much positive response from a number of churches today, initiation schools, local taxi associations, Saftu, PAC, and many more are also joining us in making sure that the strike becomes a success”.
The party’s sub-regions had meetings across the region on Sunday and the EFF said the meetings were to consolidate the way forward and make sure the party has a common approach towards the process.
Bokamoso Ranko said the EFF’s strategy might work but hopes it will be done in a peaceful manner. “I hope there won’t be anything disturbing or bad happening”.
Load shedding is a big crisis that South Africans brutally dislike. If the EFF pulls this off, we might see our country in a better position in terms of the economy,” he said.
Maikie Moilakgaka said she is happy because the strike was about ending loadshedding.
“No one likes load shedding and maybe after this strike things will be better. I just hope the strike does not get out of control,” she said.
Selby Modise said his concern is that small businesses were going to suffer.
“ Already small businesses including mine, we are planning to close our shops because it’s better to be safe than sorry, but in turn, we are losing business,” he said.
Briefing members of the media on Sunday at the Union Buildings, Presidential Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said South Africans should be able to go about their business on Monday.
He said that President Cyril Ramaphosa has directed law enforcement agencies to ensure that the rights of citizens are protected.
“It is our hope that those who decide to protest will exercise that right with a degree of responsibility and they will do so with a degree of respect for other people’s rights to carry on with their lives,” Magwenya said.
