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Mbeki trusts that national shutdown will be peaceful

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Former president Thabo Mbeki says the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has a right to organise a protest on issues that are affecting the country.

However, he has made an appeal that any protest must be in line with the laws of the country.

Mbeki shares his view on the national shutdown:

Mbeki says he hopes that the assurance by EFF leader Julius Malema that the protest will be peaceful will be a reality.

Mbeki spoke to SABC News on the sidelines of an event organised by the Thabo Mbeki International School of Governance.

“I think the EFF and everybody who’s joined are perfectly entitled to demonstrate and so on, but I think a point has been made that we should avoid all violence and things like that. I watched a little bit when Julius talked about the demonstration and himself made this commitment that they don’t want violence and if there’s any violence, it would have been provoked by somebody else. I think that common commitment by organisers and the rest of the country is correct, by all means I think people should demonstrate if they want to demonstrate on whatever the issue, but let’s avoid this kind of unnecessary conflict, the country doesn’t need it.”

Meanwhile, taxi organisation SANTACO says it will not take part in the EFF’s planned national shutdown on Monday.

SANTACO’s general manager Thabisho Molelekwa provides more insight:

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