DA in court to seek order interdicting EFF’s planned national shutdown

17 March 2023 - 12:14
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The EFF is planning a 'mother of national shutdowns' to call for President Cyril Ramaphosa's resignation and demand an end to load-shedding. File photo.
The EFF is planning a 'mother of national shutdowns' to call for President Cyril Ramaphosa's resignation and demand an end to load-shedding. File photo.
Image: Nqubeko Mbhele

The DA is in the Johannesburg high court on Friday to seek an order declaring the national shutdown planned by the EFF, which is scheduled to start on Monday, unlawful. 

The party also seeks an order interdicting the EFF, its members, employees and officials from shutting retail stores, businesses, trade and public roads, from instigating the blocking of roads and railway lines, and inciting violence. 

The DA seeks to interdict the shutdown to the extent it extends beyond notices issued under the Regulation of Gatherings Act. 

In its founding affidavit filed earlier this week by leader John Steenhuisen, the DA said despite its responsibility to take all reasonable steps to ensure the national shutdown was not violent and to guard against unlawful conduct during the shutdown, the EFF had threatened to force the closure of all schools, retail stores, businesses and public roads across the country. 

“It has also issued threatening communications, including serious threats of violence,” Steenhuisen said. 

He said the DA supported the right of everyone to freedom of expression and to lawfully demonstrate their dissent and grievances through peaceful demonstrations, marches and other forms of public assemblies without fear of persecution and retaliation by government. 

Steenhuisen said, however, there was a need to ensure protests were peaceful and did not unjustifiably infringe the rights of others. 

“I also emphasise there is no right to protest violently, shut down the functioning of society or coerce others to participate in a protest. 

“The threats of these forms of unlawful conduct are exacerbated in a society like ours, where certain interests take advantage of the high levels of poverty, inequality, lack of service delivery and social tensions to advance their causes,” Steenhuisen said in his affidavit. 

The EFF is opposing the application. The case was supposed to start in the morning but was stood down until noon to allow the EFF to file a signed answering affidavit.

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