Woman rushes from divorce court to anti-Zuma protest in Pretoria

07 April 2017 - 12:45 By Sipho Mabena
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Image: Abigail Javier

Church Square in Pretoria is fast swelling as protesters stream into the city centre from all directions to call on President Jacob Zuma to step down.

Anti-Zuma chants reverberated through the square as people‚ white and black‚ young and old‚ waved the national flag and posters calling on Zuma to step down.

For Bronwen del Paggio‚ a businesswoman from Centurion‚ it is about standing together as a nation for a people’s cause and “to pray to God to remove corruption and wicked leadership”.

She just had her divorce finalised in the nearby Pretoria high court and decided to head straight to the square straight after the court session.

  • LIVE: Anti-Zuma protests nationwideA number of events, marches and pickets aimed at pressuring President Jacob Zuma to quit have been planned across the country.

“I just got my divorce finalised moments ago‚ but I have a beautiful country. We have the most amazing country in the world and I pray to God to shine our light‚” she said.

Her best friend‚ Olivia van Schalkwyk‚ also from Centurion‚ waving a large SA flag and donning a hat in the national colours‚ said when she looked at the flag‚ she saw something worth defending.

“This is the time to stand together‚ defend our flag. We have a pretty flag‚ a pretty country and we cannot allow anyone to desecrate all this. We are in trouble. Let us come together‚ black and white‚ rich or poor‚ for a just cause. It is not about the colour of our skin but the colour of our hearts and future‚” she said.

The two friends are among more than 1‚000 people dancing to songs being blasted from large speakers erected at Church Square.

Marshals are preaching the gospel of peace and pleading with people to behave and not to break the law when they march to the Union Buildings at noon.

-TMG Digital/TimesLive

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