The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has called for an unprecedented national shutdown to have the entire Eskom board to resign because of continued load shedding and to remove President Cyril Ramaphosa from office.
During a press briefing on Thursday, Malema said his party could not sit and fold its arms as the country’s electricity and economic situation continued to affect millions of South Africans. The EFF said it believed a national shutdown would force the government to take steps to address load shedding and the rising fuel and food prices.
Malema said the party, along with other organisations, will make demands to end load shedding, the reduction of fuel prices to 2018 rates and the immediate arrest of Ramaphosa over Phala Phala farm saga.
“The EFF will also form part of all the progressive formations and the organisations in South Africa to plan and engage a national shutdown, which will seek to remove Cyril Ramaphosa from office. The nature of the character of our national shutdown will not be a candle holding and white flags type of shutdown. It will be a shutdown that must communicate to the sitting government that, enough is enough.”
Malema said the EFF wanted the entire Eskom board to resign, as well as Public Enterprices Minister Pravin Gorhan, and for the entire senior management to be fired. Malema said the crisis faced at the power utility was as a result of a broader plan to stifle the company to an extent that it was entirely reliant on independent power producers.