Marches against Zuma and Ramaphosa ‘not the same’

ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri says comparing the national shutdown by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) demanding that President Cyril Ramaphosa be removed and the march for the removal of former president Jacob Zuma was like comparing apples and bananas.

There have been complaints that the ANC unleashed state power to defend against the removal of Ramaphosa, but it did not do the same for Zuma during the SaveSA march in 2017.

No shutdown during Zuma march

“The marches are not the same. No one ever proposed to shut down the country [during the Zuma march],” said Bhengu-Motsiri.

“There may have been specific issues related to the leadership of the former president which I do not want to go into because we don’t want to rehash matters of that nature.”

ALSO READ: Ramaphosa says failure to provide South Africans with services infringes human rights

Addressing the KwaZulu-Natal South African National Civic Organisation Human Rights Day gathering in Umlazi yesterday, Zuma said the ANC was in trouble ahead of the general elections as the party faced losing votes.

But ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said he did not know what informed Zuma’s view the ANC would lose power in the upcoming elections. He also defended Ramaphosa’s decision to deploy the army during the EFF’s shutdown.

Ramaphosa deployed 3 474 members until 17 April to assist police, costing taxpayers more than R166 million.

“If SA was in flames because of the EFF, you would say Ramaphosa is irresponsible and must go because he failed to protect citizens. This was done in the context of the rule of law,” Mbalula said.

READ NEXT: ‘SA is vulnerable to chaos without the rule of law’ – Ramaphosa