South African News You Can Trust
South African opposition party, EFF, has condemned the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) across the country by President Cyril Ramaphosa, describing his actions as dictatorial.
The deployment of more than 4 000 soldiers under Operation Prosper from 17 March to 17 April was announced on Sunday, just hours before the national shutdown announced by EFF commences.
EFF led by Julius Malema called for a national shutdown to protest continuing load shedding and call for Ramaphosa to resign.
In a statement issued on Sunday evening, EFF unequivocally slammed the deployment of the army insisting that the “act suppress the Constitutional Right to protest”.
“The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) rejects the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) across the country, ahead of the National Shutdown on the 20th of March 2023.
“The dictator Cyril Ramaphosa has deployed 3 474 members of the SANDF to suppress peaceful protests against his failed Presidency and crush the calls for his resignation.
“This act demonstrates the bloodthirsty nature of the current government and the intolerance of the ruling party to dissent and opposition.
“South Africa has degenerated into a military state, and the deployment of the army to suppress the Constitutional Right to protest, means we have returned to the dark days of Apartheid.
“The current deployment of the army and law enforcement agencies has surpassed that of the Apartheid regime in the 1980s during the State of Emergency, meaning that Ramaphosa has declared war on the people of South Africa.
“The scenes of military personnel descending into the townships of South Africa, policemen searching the homes and cars of citizens without warrants or just cause, and shutting down tyre shops reveal a paranoid government that is capable of grave human rights violations.
“The international community ought to pay close attention to South Africa on the 20th of March 2023, because the government of South Africa has prepared itself to commit a massacre in defence of a corrupt President.
“The EFF calls on the people of South Africa to come out in their numbers and join the National Shutdown.
“No intimidation should prosper and we must resist the tyranny of Cyril Ramaphosa, in the same way, we resisted the Apartheid government.
“No Retreat, No Surrender! reads the statement.
Although over 4 000 soldiers were deployed to shun any protests yesterday fearless EFF supporters peacefully marched expressing their grief on various challenges which they claim Ramaphosa is doing nothing to swiftly address.
One of the most alarming cause of the national shutdown was the call for President Cyril Ramaphosa to resign which some think forced the President to deploy multitudes of security forces on the streets.