Video explains plot to shut down Tshwane

A video circulating on social media appears to show the origins of Friday's planned mass action in Pretoria.

The city got an alert about the plot this week as a group of disgruntled Expanded Public Works Programme workers‚ who call themselves Vat Alles‚ launched a campaign to protest the expiry of their contracts.

The video starts with a crowd singing a struggle song entitled “Noma kukubi siyaya‚” loosely translated‚ “We are going there‚ no matter what.” The man leading the song is wearing a Kaizer Chiefs jersey and is standing in front of an audience in what looks like a community hall. As the song proceeds‚ more people walk into the hall. Then one of the men standing in front of the audience calls ANC Youth League regional leader Lesego Makhubela to come and address the gathering.

“We are not marching on the 26th. It’s a total shutdown of Tshwane. We will go to the municipality to collect employment contracts. Permanent employment contracts‚” said Makhubela as the crowd applauds and shouts in agreement.

He adds: “We are not going there to hand [anyone] a letter.”

Makhubela said that they will not make a submission to Tshwane Mayor Solly Msimanga as “he is not the decision maker‚ decisions are made in Cape Town”.

“We are going to go from bumper to bumper‚ station to station‚ door to door and [mobilise] everybody from all sectors of Tshwane. Tshwane will shut down.”

“We will mobilise taxi people‚ train people to transport you to the destination. We are doing this so that all may work and provide for their children. We are expecting not less than 20‚000 people. You must bring whatever that you feel will help shut the city‚” Makhubela said.

He said that they were aware of the consequences of divisions within the ANC.

“As we speak‚ the ANC is uniting and finding itself. Like the ocean‚ the ANC is self-cleansing. The DA is scared because if they tried to have a meeting [conference] like ours‚ they won’t succeed. [Cyril] Ramaphosa has united the party.”

He added that even if the Democratic Alliance‚ which runs the Tshwane Metro‚ and Economic Freedom Fighters attempt a coalition against his party‚ “it will not work out for as long as the ANC lives”.