Juju: Cops see red

Members of the Economic Freedom Fighters party wreaked havoc in the Johannesburg city centre yesterday when they stormed the Gauteng legislature, demanding that their representatives be allowed back into the house.

In a day of drama, red-shirted protesters broke through a door to the legislature building, causing police, who were initially outnumbered, to fire stun grenades and rubber bullets.

EFF leader Julius Malema had earlier joined thousands of his followers in Braamfontein for a march to the provincial legislature.

The march followed last month's expulsion of EFF members because their red overalls were deemed inappropriate for the house.

Malema marched peacefully with his followers from Braamfontein down Rissik Street, marshalled by a large police contingent.

The marchers sang Sizobadubula, meaning "We will shoot them", all the way to the legislature building, where a wall of police officers waited for Malema, with a small public address system.

But Malema and his supporters insisted on entering the building.

He and a group of about 100 people went inside. "If any one of you police touch me or my fighters all hell will break loose," he told the tactical response team members who blocked him from moving further into the house.

"It will be the biggest mistake you'll ever make in your lives."

Outside, the crowd became agitated and tried several times to force its way into the legislature. More police were called to the scene. The EFF members continued singing songs insulting President Jacob Zuma and the ANC.

As the hours went by, some decided it was an opportunity to make a bit of money. EFF merchandise, including ties, overalls and even EFF-branded lingerie, was sold in the crowd.

Inside the legislature, EFF supporters helped themselves to food, at the instruction of their commander. They continued singing and banged doors and windows.

Others went as far as breaking door handles and hand rails and took down fire extinguishers to break through the door to the room in which legislature members were sitting. At about 5.45pm, the group outside succeeded in breaking a door with an extinguisher, which they then threw inside and it exploded. EFF supporters outside stormed in, trying to join Malema's group. About 100 police officers emerged from the entrance and fired rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse the crowd.

The protesters fled but then regrouped and tried to retaliate with stones. As the confrontation intensified, more policemen stepped in and the EFF supporters fled.

They ran into different streets, breaking windows, overturning rubbish bins and a few even looting shops. People on the streets fled for their lives. Order was finally restored at about 7.30pm.

The police's Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said several officers were slightly injured. No arrests were made.

Malema addressed EFF supporters back in Braamfontein, reportedly telling them that a date would be set for a bigger march back to the legislature.

Political analyst Somadoda Fikeni said EFF had made a political statement when it had declared its members would wear red overalls to parliament and the provincial legislatures. But he warned that its "theatrics" had the potential to destroy the goodwill shown to it by voters and others who had become convinced that the EFF was a long-term viable alternative to the ANC.

"Wouldn't the EFF have benefited from saying: "We do not agree with these rules but let us open up a debate about them? [The Gauteng legislature] can't work on the basis of a subversion of rules [only] the deliberate changing of those rules," said Fikeni.