Congress of the People wants to applaud all the people of South Africa for coming out in their thousands to demand that Zuma must step down, Cope spokesman Dennis Bloem said today.
“We are highly motivated and encouraged by what we have witnessed yesterday.
We are encouraged by the determination and steadfastness of the thousands, black and white, who took to the streets, ignoring the intimidation and threats that came from the ANCYL and other ANC aligned thugs, to deal with those who dare to march against Zuma.”
COPE wanted to remind the ANC that during the freedom struggle, especially during the 1980s at the height of the threat posed by United Democratic Front against apartheid and later in the 1990s after the unbanning of the ANC and other political parties, the apartheid government unleashed vigilante groups to attack, intimidate and disrupt the people’s March to a democratic country.
Bloem said the ANC was deploying the same dirty tactics similar to that of the apartheid government. “Paranoid Jacob Zuma and his securocrats have assembled a private army called MKVA to intimidate and instill fear into anyone who wants to voice opposition against his misrule. Then there is the Zuma/Guptas sponsored vigilante group called the Black First, Land First (BLF) who is going all over to cause chaos in the presence of the police and no action is taken against them. This is a similar pattern of what happened during dying days of the apartheid government.”
He said the moral campaign to remove Zuma would be intensified over the next few days and weeks. On Wednesday next week political parties, including COPE, are expected to march to the Union Buildings to demand Zuma’s removal from the Office of State President. On April 18, thousands of people were expected to gather outside Parliament when MPs debate a vote of No Confidence in the president.
