South African opposition, rights groups march against Zuma

 

Jacob Zuma

Thousands marched in major South African cities to protest against President Jacob Zuma on Friday, demanding he quit after a cabinet reshuffle triggered the latest crisis of his presidency.Zuma’s sacking of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan in the reshuffle last Thursday has outraged allies and opponents alike, undermined his authority and caused rifts in the ruling African National Congress (ANC), which has governed South Africa since the end of white-minority rule in 1994.

In the country’s commercial hub, Johannesburg, several residents stood along the roads, waving placards demanding that Zuma step down.

Mmusi Maimane, leader of the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party, was due to lead a march in downtown Johannesburg, where thousands of marchers wearing blue DA T-shirts gathered to start the march, with many bussed in from other areas.

Some held placards saying “Fire Zuma”.

“This president is mishandling the presidency and he should leave office,” said Graham Fish, 62.

A “holding hands” picket was due to take place in Cape Town, where motorists hooted in support of the march holding up South African flags.

About 2,000 people were also marching in coastal city of Durban

Syriana Maesela, 65, a retiree was on her way by train to Pretoria to join the march carrying a South African flag.

She said: “I am marching to get the ANC to take us seriously and respect our wishes by letting the president go.

“We are unhappy about his leadership because he does not seem to care about the people.

“The irony is I did the same thing in 1976 when I was a student. I also marched then,” she said, referring protests against the apartheid regime.

Zuma welcomed one of the marches, by the civil society group Save South Africa (SaveSA) that was planned for outside the Union Buildings, the site of Zuma’s offices in the capital, Pretoria, saying it was the group’s legal right to do so.

SaveSA is made up of civil society groups, business leaders and prominent individuals.

Zuma, 74, has faced protests in the past.

The ANC on Wednesday rejected calls for Zuma to quit, and analysts doubted marches would shake the president.

And his supporters also gathered to support him.

About 300 camouflage-clad veterans of the ANC’s now-disbanded Umkhonto we Sizwe military wing ringed the party’s Luthuli House building in downtown Johannesburg, mounting mock parades and singing in support of Zuma.

Some clad in the yellow, green and gold colors of the ANC also danced, waving placards emblazoned with the words: “I’m prepared to die for my ANC” and “Hands off our President”.

The rand was steady against the dollar in early trade on Friday.

The currency has tumbled more than 11 percent since March 27, when Zuma ordered Gordhan to return home from overseas talks with investors, days before firing him.

“The rand has stabilised,” Rand Merchant Bank currency strategists John Cairns said.

“The marches and the looming weekend will keep the market cautious.”

South African opposition, rights groups march against Zuma

 

Jacob Zuma

Thousands marched in major South African cities to protest against President Jacob Zuma on Friday, demanding he quit after a cabinet reshuffle triggered the latest crisis of his presidency.Zuma’s sacking of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan in the reshuffle last Thursday has outraged allies and opponents alike, undermined his authority and caused rifts in the ruling African National Congress (ANC), which has governed South Africa since the end of white-minority rule in 1994.

In the country’s commercial hub, Johannesburg, several residents stood along the roads, waving placards demanding that Zuma step down.

Mmusi Maimane, leader of the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party, was due to lead a march in downtown Johannesburg, where thousands of marchers wearing blue DA T-shirts gathered to start the march, with many bussed in from other areas.

Some held placards saying “Fire Zuma”.

“This president is mishandling the presidency and he should leave office,” said Graham Fish, 62.

A “holding hands” picket was due to take place in Cape Town, where motorists hooted in support of the march holding up South African flags.

About 2,000 people were also marching in coastal city of Durban

Syriana Maesela, 65, a retiree was on her way by train to Pretoria to join the march carrying a South African flag.

She said: “I am marching to get the ANC to take us seriously and respect our wishes by letting the president go.

“We are unhappy about his leadership because he does not seem to care about the people.

“The irony is I did the same thing in 1976 when I was a student. I also marched then,” she said, referring protests against the apartheid regime.

Zuma welcomed one of the marches, by the civil society group Save South Africa (SaveSA) that was planned for outside the Union Buildings, the site of Zuma’s offices in the capital, Pretoria, saying it was the group’s legal right to do so.

SaveSA is made up of civil society groups, business leaders and prominent individuals.

Zuma, 74, has faced protests in the past.

The ANC on Wednesday rejected calls for Zuma to quit, and analysts doubted marches would shake the president.

And his supporters also gathered to support him.

About 300 camouflage-clad veterans of the ANC’s now-disbanded Umkhonto we Sizwe military wing ringed the party’s Luthuli House building in downtown Johannesburg, mounting mock parades and singing in support of Zuma.

Some clad in the yellow, green and gold colors of the ANC also danced, waving placards emblazoned with the words: “I’m prepared to die for my ANC” and “Hands off our President”.

The rand was steady against the dollar in early trade on Friday.

The currency has tumbled more than 11 percent since March 27, when Zuma ordered Gordhan to return home from overseas talks with investors, days before firing him.

“The rand has stabilised,” Rand Merchant Bank currency strategists John Cairns said.

“The marches and the looming weekend will keep the market cautious.”

PHOTOS: Groups protest in South Africa, demand Zuma’s resignation

Members of South Africa’s powerful trade union federation, Cosatu, a key coalition partner of the ruling ANC, protested on Tuesday, at Port Elizabeth, asking the embattled President Jacob Zuma to resign following a deeply unpopular cabinet reshuffle.

The trade union federation comprise of Supporters of the Save South Africa (SaveSA) campaign, civil society organisations and political parties.

See photos

Like Trump,Zuma bans 9 African countries from entering South Africa

South African president, Jacob Zuma has pulled a massive shocker after announcing an immediate ban to all citizens from Southern Africa. Effective immediately, citizens from these countries will no longer be allowed in South Africa in what Zuma called a temporary freeze : Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. 

The news was met with resistance from various stakeholders and diplomats from the affected countries are said to have called an emergency meeting. Speaking form the parliament, Jacob Zuma said the countries in Southern Africa are responsible for the rampant job loss among local South Africans. "I want South Africans to have jobs before others but it's the other way round. Why should my child suffer while my neighbor's child eats in my field?", Zuma said. Another reason that Zuma highlighted was the alarming crime rates. He said foreigners from neighboring countries commit crimes and run away from their countries, mostly illegals. 

"All foreigners currently in South Africa from the affected countries will be vetted and if found to have contravened, they will be sent home immediately", he announced. There was no word on how the affected countries would respond to Zuma's shock announcement. Source : LiveMonitor

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Zuma Must Fall: Thousands Protest in South Africa To Demand President Jacob Zuma's Resignation.

Protesters in South Africa take to the street in thousands on 16 December to demand the resignation of President Jacob ZumaTwitter user @minnie_aminah

Twitter hashtag #ZumaMustFallMarch was trending at number one in South Africa on Wednesday (16 December) as thousands took to the streets to demand that President Jacob Zuma resign from his post. The ANC, Zuma's ruling political party, has come out in defence of the president.

The anti-Zuma protest was led by the Unite Against Corruption group, who also led the#FeesMustFall campaign in October. People in Pretoria, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg took to the streets, insisting that corruption has worsened in South Africa since Zuma came to power in 2009. The march coincides with the public holiday, Day of Reconciliation, which is to encourage national unity.

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Nigerian Beaten To Death By South African Police!

 

The President of Nigeria Union in South Africa, Ikechukwu Anyene, on Thursday, decried the killing of a Nigerian in Hillbrow, Johannesburg.
NAN recalls that the Nigerian, Nonso Odo, 30, from Amangwu-Nkwerre, Imo State, was allegedly tortured to death by South African Police officers on Thursday.
Mr Emeka Ezinteje, Public Relations Officer of the union, told NAN in Johannesburg that the union decried the incident after receiving the report.read more

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Thulani Nzima,

The CEO of South Africa's Tourism Mr Thulani Nzima has condemned the appalling xenophobic attacks taking place in South Africa.He stated this in a press release made available to us.Please find his statement below.
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How Zulu King's Utterances Sparked Xenophobic Violence In South Africa On Monday.

Zulu King

KING Goodwill Zwelithini of Zululand made some unguarded utterances that allegedly incited the ongoing xenophobic violence against African immigrants in South Africa.In a speech last month, Zwelithini said “foreigners must pack their bags and go home” because it was unacceptable that locals were being made to compete with people from other countries for the few economic opportunities they had available.
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Where Did Nigeria Go Wrong ?

Nigeria – South Africa relations have gone sour as a result of the xenophobic crisis going on. Both countries are former British colonies. Both countries are members of the Commonwealth of Nations and African Union.

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Black South Africans Attacking Foreign Africans But Not Foreign Whites.Afrophobia Or Xenophobia?

Several people have been killed in a surge of xenophobic attacks in South Africa on 14 April, where locals have been targeting foreigners - mostly African immigrants from Nigeria, Somali, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia - in and around the city of Durban, in the KwaZulu-Natal province.
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Huge crowds of grieving South Africans converged at Soweto's World Cup stadium Tuesday, to sit side-by-side with presidents, priests, queens and sheikhs at a memorial service for unifying global icon Nelson Mandela. 
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South African Court Sentences Man To 22 Years In Prison For Raping A Lesbian.

Funeka Soldaat Activist for the Lesbian Community

A South African court has sentenced a man to 22 years in prison on Tuesday for the 2010 torture and rape of a black lesbian from a township outside Cape Town.
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H&M was the latest in a line of foreign-owned retailers to take advantage of Africa’s growing middle-class through its gateway – South Africa. Walmart, Zara and Topshop have already established a presence in SA.

Zara arrived in SA in late 2011, while UK-based fashion retailer, Topshop, launched in 2012.H&M said it saw great potential in the market.

“We see great potential for further expansion in this region. We look forward to bringing fashion and quality at the best price to the customers in South Africa,” H&M’s Chief Executive, Karl-Johan Persson, said in a statement.

The first store would be a full concept flagship store, the company said. It is believed the shop would be located at the R3.5 billion, Mall of Africa, being built in Midrand.The mall, financed by Nedbank Corporate Property Finance, is SA’s largest single-phase shopping mall development.
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-Sapa, www.bdlive.co.za

South African Women Married To Nigerians Cry Out Against Discrimination,Threaten To Protest Naked.

Just when we thought that the regime of apartheid and everything that bears its similitude was gone, xenophobia seems to be the growing attitudes by South Africans against foreigners especially Nigerians:

As a reaction to discrimination, South African women married to Nigerians have threatened to stage a mass protest in Johannesburg.

Mrs. Lindelwa Uche, Chairperperson of the United Nigerian Wives in South Africa (UNWISA) was quoted as saying: “...We decided to come together to fight against stigmatization, discrimination, and humiliation, against our families by government departments and agency and the officials of the government, the community and our-in-laws.

“If we don’t stand up for our children when they are being called derogatory names like “Small lee kwere-kwere” or turning their natives names upside down deliberately by our community in the name of making them feel like aliens, outcast, and unwelcome, or even when their Nigerian aunties and uncles call them bustards, then their future is in jeopardy.

“If we don’t stand up when our countrymen and women, officials and in-law address us as paper wives, gold diggers, stupid and opportunist, who will do that for us, ” Uche queried.

She added; “After the official launch of our association, our next action will be more than just a protest march to the city of Johannesburg home affairs office. It is going to be a protest where we will strip on the street of Johannesburg, so that people and government will know that there is an existing body and that we are not happy with the way our non South Africans husband and children are being treated."


So, Nigerians are being discriminated against in neighboring South Africa? It is simply appalling.

read more here ...http://www.tutubranch.com/2013/08/nigerian-wives-threaten-protest.html