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By Stephen Tau

Journalist


‘Unpredictable’ EFF likely to disrupt Sona again

Experts agreed that, while security was expected to be heightened, this would not shield Zuma from attacks from the opposition.


Chaos is likely to precede Thursday night’s state of the nation address (Sona) by President Jacob Zuma, according to political analyst Elvis Masoga.

Speaking to The Citizen on Monday, Masoga said South Africans could expect protest action, particularly from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), led by Julius Malema.

Malema tweeted on Monday that, “We are ready for the so called #SONA, no amount of security presence can deter us, “A coward dies a thousand times before his death”.#Asijki.”

“While security in and around parliament is expected to be heightened, law enforcers can and will shield Zuma from anarchy, but they will not be able to shield him from his own personal scandals,” he said.

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Another analyst, professor Andre Duvenhage, said contrary to what had happened ahead of the Sona last year, there was a possibility of less drama this time around.

He said the political environment appeared to be a little better.

“I also think law enforcers will be even better prepared this time around, because the situation is not completely stable and a party such as the EFF is also relatively unpredictable,” he said.

Duvenhage said opposition parties would make it easy for Zuma, whom he described as a “wounded leopard”.

He said the content of the Sona was likely to focus on radical economic transformation.

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