JOHANNESBURG – President Cyril Ramaphosa has deployed the South Africa Defence Forces in an attempt to end the violent protests which have erupted in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces following the recent arrest of former President Jacob Zuma.
“Our Constitution guarantees the right of every person to protest, to organise, to engage in free expression and free association.
“It gives every person an equal right to protection before the law, and confers on every person a responsibility to respect and uphold the rights of others.
“Our Constitution is the foundation of the rule of law in our country. It is this rule of law that guards against the abuse of power, that protects the poor and the vulnerable, that enables our society to function and our economy to develop.
“We cannot allow a few people among us to threaten this collective effort. We will protect our constitutional democracy so that we can consolidate our gains. We will reject violence and chaos, so that can move forward.
“Let us choose the path of peace and renewal. Let us stand firm and emerge stronger. Together, we will defeat those who seek to destabilise our country, who seek to reverse the gains we have made.
“We will stand as one people, united against violence, unanimous in our commitment to peace and to the rule of law,” said President Ramaphosa.
Meanwhile, opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has condemned the deployment of soldiers to contain the protests saying it is a violation of right to demonstrate.
The party led by vibrant Julius Malema has been acting strangely to the situation in South Africa at the moment, choosing to ambiguously side with pro-Zuma protesters.
Malema dismissed the court decision to arrest Jacob Zuma for 15 months following a court contempt after refusing to appear before a Justice Zondo led Commission of Inquiry into the state capture case.
