Opposition parties are planning to step up their campaign to have President Jacob Zuma removed from office with a National Day of Action on Wednesday.

The parties — the African Christian Democratic Party‚ African People’s Convention‚ Congress of the People‚ Democratic Alliance‚ Economic Freedom Fighters‚ Inkatha Freedom Party and the United Democratic Movement – will march to the Union Buildings on Wednesday to demand that Zuma step down.

Anti-Zuma protests nationwide - PHOTOS A number of events, marches and pickets aimed at pressuring President Jacob Zuma to quit have been planned across the country.

The march will start from Church Square in the capital at noon.

The parties said on Saturday that Zuma’s careless Cabinet reshuffle of four Finance Ministers in three years has plunged the country into “junk status”.

“International ratings agencies have downgraded South Africa and this will lead to high interest rates levied on home‚ car and student loans‚ to high food prices and to a bigger fiscal debt‚” they said.

ANN7 reporter attacked at anti-Zuma march A journalist for Gupta-owned television news channel African News Network 7 had water poured over her by anti-Zuma marchers wearing Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) T-shirts at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

They also charged that Zuma had used an “unsubstantiated and bogus intelligence report” to remove a competent Minister and Deputy Minister of Finance‚ and replaced them with under-experienced yes-men. This meant he used state security agencies to fight political battles‚ they asserted.

“Zuma’s Cabinet reshuffle was not in the best interests of the country in that it protected and rewarded incompetent ministers who have rendered state institutions into disarray like Faith Muthambi (SABC) and Bathabile Dlamini (social grants redistribution)‚” the parties added.

Protesters chant 'Zuma must go' outside Gupta compound About 300 people congregated outside the Gupta family compound in Saxonwold‚ Johannesburg‚ at noon on Friday as part of “Black Friday” protests countrywide calling for President Jacob Zuma to leave as president of the country.

They reminded the country that the Constitutional Court had found that Zuma had “acted illegally‚ unlawfully and failed to uphold‚ defend‚ and respect the Constitution in that he disregarded the Public Protector’s remedial action on the Nkandla corruption”.

“Because this is a violation of the Constitution and his oath of office‚ Jacob Zuma is not eligible to be President of South Africa under a Constitutional democracy and Constitutional supremacy.”

Tens of thousands of South Africans took to the streets countrywide on Friday to demand that Zuma step down as president.</s>It's believed that up to 50,000 people have turned out to protest against President Jacob Zouma across South Africa.

Protesters are demanding that he quits after a cabinet reshuffle triggered the latest crisis of his presidency.

We went and documented the Zuma protest at parliament in Cape Town today.#AntiZumaMarches #NationalShutdown pic.twitter.com/bbYAkM1T1I — Jeremy Loops (@JeremyLoops) April 7, 2017

Zuma sacked Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan last Thursday, which outraged allies and opponents alike and undermined his authority causing rifts in the ruling African National Congress (ANC).

Concerns have also been raised about the struggling economy and government corruption. Zuma still retains the backing of powerful factions within the ruling ANC party.

Divisions over his conduct are growing however in the party, as its legacy of having a leading role in the fight against white minority rule, has eroded during his tenure.

Nobel laureate and anti-apartheid leader Desmond Tutu, made a rare appearance to support the protests on Friday

His foundation posted a tweet in his name saying "We will pray for the downfall of a government that misrepresents us."



In Johannesburg, police fired rubber bullets to disperse about 100 ruling party members who were making their way toward protesters, according to the African News Agency.

Separately, ruling party members assaulted several protesters participating in a march organized by the Democratic Alliance, South Africa's biggest opposition group.

Having faced protests in the past, analysts have doubted that the most recent rallies are likely to shake the president.

Members in parliament said they would vote against a motion of no confidence in Zuma on April 18th, a key rallying call for the marchers on Friday.</s>Thousands of protesters are marching across cities in South Africa calling for President Jacob Zuma to be removed.

The action is taking place after Mr Zuma’s dismissal of the country’s finance minister fuelled concerns over government corruption – and a struggling economy.

Protesters are currently marching in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and other big metropolitan areas to push for the resignation of scandal-hit Mr Zuma.

The president currently retains the support of a ruling party facing an internal revolt against the president.

A march organised by the Democratic Alliance, South Africa’s biggest opposition party, was expected to pass near the headquarters of the ruling African National Congress in Johannesburg.

ANC members in military uniforms who oppose the protest were posted outside.

The government appealed for calm and said it respects the right of South Africans to protest peacefully.

Earlier today, Fitch Ratings announced the downgrade of South Africa to ‘junk status’ – meaning the likelihood of debt that is in foreign currency being repaid is very low.

Pravin Gordhan, who was fired as finance minister in a late-night cabinet reshuffle a week ago, was widely respected for his anti-corruption stance.

The Standard & Poor’s agency lowered South Africa’s foreign currency credit rating after the dismissal, citing political instability and threats to economic growth.

Mr Gordhan was seen as a counter to the alleged influence of the Gupta family, Indian immigrant businessmen who have been accused of trying to influence some of Mr Zuma’s cabinet picks.

Mr Zuma has said there was nothing improper in the way he chose ministers.</s>South Africa’s political crisis intensified on Friday as tens of thousands of people joined demonstrations across the country calling for President Jacob Zuma to step down, police fired rubber bullets in scattered clashes and a second ratings agency downgraded the country to “junk” status.



Thousands marched through the rainy centre of Johannesburg, the commercial capital, amid a heavy police presence, while smaller crowds of a few hundred people protested on street corners and bridges in other cities and towns.

One protester, Lydia Potgeiter, 69, said she was there to “support the efforts of all South Africans to be rid of a corrupt system that is eating away everything we have worked for over the last 20 years”.

Thana Dzwane, 27, had left her office with five colleagues to attend the rally. “It’s about Zuma and his people.” she said. “They are ruining the country. Things are only going to get worse unless there is a change soon.”



In Pretoria, the administrative capital, thousands more gathered at the Union Buildings, the seat of government, carrying banners reading “Zuma not my president” and “the power of the people is stronger than the people in power”.

The crisis, triggered by a cabinet reshuffle last week in which widely-respected finance minister Pravin Gordhan was sacked, has been described by analysts as the most serious to face South Africa since minority white rule ended more than 20 years ago.

It has laid bare deep divisions within the country, and within the African National Congress, the party which led the liberation struggle and has ruled since 1994.

Zuma, a party veteran in power since 2009, has been accused of filling posts in key institutions with loyalists, packing party committees with supporters, and maintaining inappropriate relations with a powerful family of local tycoons. The 74-year-old, who has been named in hundreds of corruption charges, denies any wrongdoing.

“I think this is a really important moment,” said Nic Cheeseman, an expert in democracy in Africa at Birmingham University. “The South African state is under threat … The system now has problems throughout. A lot of these tendencies were latent and Zuma has been so damaging because he has brought them out.”

The sacking of Gordhan, the finance minister, led to a slide in the value of South Africa’s Rand currency and an almost immediate downgrading by international ratings agency Standard and Poor’s. A second agency, Fitch Ratings, downgraded South Africa on Friday.

Zuma has brushed aside calls for his resignation from veterans of the liberation struggle, unions and South Africa’s Communist party, a historic ally of the ANC. A powerful ANC committee backed the president last week, and he is expected to survive a no confidence vote in parliament later this month.

“There is a battle for the soul of the ANC,” Cheeseman said. “There is the party of [Nelson] Mandela and the Freedom Charter; there is Zuma and his acolytes who want to use the party for their own interests. It is unclear who will win out ... but we are clearly moving downhill.”

Though members of all South Africa’s communities were present at the protests, South Africa’s white minority, less than10% of the population, was disproportionately represented.

“There is a change coming,” said Potgieter. “The white people are the middle class people. Until now they have just sat down and taken it easy while black people have done something. Now there is more mobilisation.”

ANC loyalists accuse the main opposition party, the centre-right Democratic Alliance, of being “run by whites and big business CEOs”.

Kedibone Khumalo, a 31-year-old from a small town in rural Free State who travelled for four hours in a bus with her local ANC branch to join a Zuma support demonstration outside the party’s headquarters in Johannesburg, said: “The whites don’t like Zuma … but actually he looks after everybody. It is a good government. You get roads, homes, free medical aid if you are pregnant.”

Zuma will step down as ANC president later this year. His replacement is likely to lead the country if, as widely predicted, the party wins elections due in 2019. Many pundits say the ANC, which suffered heavy losses in last year’s municipal polls, may garner less than 50% of the vote, which would be a major blow.

Investors fear a slew of populist measures which may further weaken a flagging economy. Malusi Gigaba, the new finance minister, has pledged to “accelerate radical economic transformation” which would redistribute wealth currently “concentrated in the hands of a small part of the population”.

South Africa has 54 million inhabitants, but just 10% possess more than 90% of the country’s wealth. Ownership of land and companies remains mostly in South Africa’s white communities.

Zuma has recently spoken of a new bid to expropriate land without compensation from big farmers. This may play well with key rural communities which are strongholds of the ANC, but has less resonance in cities, where Zuma is deeply unpopular.

Hundreds of ANC supporters, some bearing sticks and bricks, others wearing combat uniforms, guarded the party’s headquarters on Friday. Police fired rubber bullets after some attempted to disrupt the opposition march.

Sifiso Motsweni, a senior official in the ANC Youth League, said the party was just “defending its property” from opposition “thugs” and accused opposition parties of trying to use “unconstitutional means” by taking to the streets.

“We are not going to listen to white people and white CEOs who do not represent the majority of South Africans… This is not a race issue. White people continue to be the bosses, to hold the economy and the land. That is not racist, it is real,” said Motsweni.

Dzwane, who joined the Johannesburg protest against Zuma with her colleagues, said: “This is not about being white or black or whatever. It is about what’s best for the country.”</s>There were protests across South Africa on the morning of 7 April against President Jacob Zuma. Zuma has been heavily criticized for a recent cabinet reshuffle, in the wake of which the country’s foreign currency rating was downgraded to junk status. The opposition Democratic Alliance called for its supporters to join a “March for Change” in Johannesburg.</s>Thousands of South Africans have gathered in major cities to demonstrate against President Jacob Zuma.

The protests are taking place after Mr Zuma's dismissal of the country's finance minister fuelled concerns over government corruption and a struggling economy.

Protesters began marches in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and other big metropolitan areas to push for the resignation of scandal-hit Mr Zuma, who for now retains the support of a ruling party facing an internal revolt against the president.

A march organised by the Democratic Alliance, South Africa's biggest opposition party, was expected to pass near the headquarters of the ruling African National Congress in Johannesburg.

ANC members in military uniforms who oppose the protest were posted outside.

The government appealed for calm and said it respects the right of South Africans to protest peacefully, a legacy of the struggle against white minority rule that ended in 1994 with the country's first all-race vote and the election of Nelson Mandela as president.

Pravin Gordhan, who was fired as finance minister in a late-night cabinet reshuffle a week ago, was widely respected for his anti-corruption stance.

The Standard & Poor's agency lowered South Africa's foreign currency credit rating after the dismissal, citing political instability and threats to economic growth.

Mr Gordhan was seen as a counter to the alleged influence of the Gupta family, Indian immigrant businessmen who have been accused of trying to influence some of Mr Zuma's cabinet picks.

The Guptas deny any wrongdoing, and Mr Zuma has said there was nothing improper in the way he chose ministers.

Mr Zuma and the ruling party have been weakened by other scandals around the president.

Mr Zuma was forced to reimburse some state money after the Constitutional Court ruled against him last year in a dispute over millions of dollars spent on his private home.</s>Thousands of South Africans gathered in major cities today to demonstrate against President Jacob Zuma, whose dismissal of the finance minister fueled concerns over government corruption and a struggling economy. Protesters began marches in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and other big metropolitan areas to push for the resignation of the scandal-tainted Zuma, who for now retains the support of a ruling party facing an internal revolt against the president. “Fire Zuma,” read some placards.

A march organised by the Democratic Alliance, Sout Africa’s biggest opposition party, was expected to pass near the headquarters of the ruling African National Congress in downtown Johannesburg. ANC members in military uniforms who oppose the protest were posted outside.

The government appealed for calm and said it respects th right of South Africans to protest peacefully, a legacy of th struggle against white minority rule that ended in 1994 wit the country’s first all-race vote and the election of Nelso Mandela as president.

Pravin Gordhan, who was fired as finance minister in late-night Cabinet reshuffle a week ago, was widely respecte for his anti-corruption stance. The Standard & Poor’s agenc lowered South Africa’s foreign currency credit rating afte the dismissal, citing political instability and threats t economic growth.

Gordhan was seen as a counter to the alleged influence o the Gupta family, Indian immigrant businessmen who have bee accused of trying to influence some of Zuma’s Cabinet picks The Guptas deny any wrongdoing, and Zuma has said ther was nothing improper in the way he chose ministers.

Zuma and the ruling party have been weakened by othe scandals around the president. Zuma was forced to reimburs some state money after the Constitutional Court ruled agains him last year in a dispute over millions of dollars spent on his private home.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App now</s>These are external links and will open in a new window

Protesters are gathering in major South African cities calling for President Jacob Zuma to step down after the sacking of a respected finance minister.

Crowds are building ahead of demonstrations in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and the capital, Pretoria.

Mr Zuma's sacking of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan led to the country's credit rating being cut to junk status.

The move has added pressure to South Africa's already embattled economy.

Thousands are expected to march and pictures shared on social media on Friday show large crowds assembling in Church Square in Pretoria, despite confusion over whether demonstrations in the capital are permitted by law.

Police said on Thursday that marches in Pretoria were illegal because they had not been granted permission by city authorities. But this was later overturned by a magistrate.

Protesters in the capital are planning to march to the seat of government, the Union Buildings.

In Johannesburg, where people are due to converge a short distance from the ANC headquarters, motorists have been advised to avoid the city's central business district.

Hundreds of veterans of the ANC's armed anti-apartheid struggle and members of the ruling party's youth wing have gathered outside its headquarters to protect the building.

The government, which has appealed for peace during the countrywide protests, tweeted that the laws in South Africa are also there to "protect the right of those who would not like to participate in protest action".

Earlier this week, a major decision-making body within the ruling ANC party discarded a complaint against Mr Zuma that he had failed to consult executives before reshuffling his cabinet.
• BBC Africa Live: More on this and other updates
• Knives are out for President Zuma

The move to drop Mr Gordhan from office angered both Mr Zuma's opponents and allies, causing a rift in the ruling ANC party, which has governed South Africa since 1994.

It left some in the ANC leadership questioning whether Mr Zuma should remain as president.

Key ANC allies, the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the main trades union federation Cosatu, joined in the calls for him to go.

But the party's National Working Committee (NWC), discussing the cabinet reshuffle, later gave the president its backing.

Mr Zuma has been described in local media as the Teflon Don because of his survival skills following the acceptance of his explanation for his controversial sacking of the finance minister.

Opposition parties, together with some in his own governing alliance, planned Friday's mass action through public protests to demand his resignation.

The Economic Freedom Fighters went to court asking permission for his impeachment.</s>Protesters have marched in cities across South Africa including Cape Town, Durban, and the capital, Pretoria calling for the removal of President Jacob Zuma.

The demonstrations came after Mr Zuma’s sacking of a respected finance minister, which led to the country’s credit rating being cut to junk status.

The move added pressure to South Africa’s already embattled economy.

But supporters of Mr Zuma also turned out to defend the president.

This week Mr Zuma survived calls by powerful groups allied to the governing ANC for him to go. He also got the backing of a major decision-making body within the party.

He is not due to leave office until 2019 when his second five-year term comes to an end.

One of the immediate sources of controversy was last week’s cabinet reshuffle which saw the removal of, among others, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

In Johannesburg, there was a heavy police presence as protesters planned to converge near the ANC headquarters.

Hundreds of veterans of the ANC’s armed anti-apartheid struggle and members of the ruling party’s youth wing also gathered outside its headquarters at Luthuli House to protect the building.

Supporters of Mr Zuma told the BBC’s Milton Nkosi that they came out to promote the president’s policies. They said that Mr Zuma was promising radical socio-economic change.

One supporter said that it would be wrong to force regime change in South Africa, adding that such a move would be “going back to the dark ages of apartheid”.

Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters in one part of Johannesburg, local media are reporting.

Crowds later gathered outside a compound belonging to the wealthy Gupta family, which has ties to the president, in Johannesburg’s affluent Saxonwold suburb.

Pictures shared on social media on Friday showed large crowds assembling in Church Square in Pretoria, despite confusion over whether demonstrations in the capital are permitted by law.

Police said on Thursday that marches in Pretoria were illegal because they had not been granted permission by city authorities. But this was later overturned by a magistrate.

Protesters in the capital later marched to the seat of government, the Union Buildings, waving placards that read: “South Africa is not for sale.”

The BBC’s Karen Allen, in Pretoria, said that despite a heavy police presence, the protest there went ahead peacefully.

In Durban, banners stating “Jacob Zuma must step down” were draped from buildings as part of nationwide demonstrations. Protesters marched through the city with their faces painted, carrying messages of “downgrade Zuma, not South Africa” in reference to the country’s amended credit rating.

The government, which has appealed for peace during the countrywide protests, tweeted that the laws in South Africa are also there to “protect the right of those who would not like to participate in protest action”.

Earlier this week, a major decision-making body within the ruling ANC party discarded a complaint against Mr Zuma that he had failed to consult executives before reshuffling his cabinet.

The move to drop the finance minister angered both Mr Zuma’s opponents and allies, causing a rift in the ruling ANC party, which has governed South Africa since 1994.

It left some in the ANC leadership questioning whether Mr Zuma should remain as president.

Key ANC allies, the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the main trades union federation Cosatu, joined in the calls for him to go.

But the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), discussing the cabinet reshuffle, later gave the president its backing.

Mr Zuma has been described in local media as the Teflon Don because of his survival skills following the acceptance of his explanation for his controversial sacking of the finance minister.</s>Thousands of South Africans have gathered in major cities to demonstrate against President Jacob Zuma.

The protests are taking place after Mr Zuma’s dismissal of the country’s finance minister fuelled concerns over government corruption and a struggling economy.

Protesters began marches in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and other big metropolitan areas to push for the resignation of scandal-hit Mr Zuma, who for now retains the support of a ruling party facing an internal revolt against the president.

A march organised by the Democratic Alliance, South Africa’s biggest opposition party, was expected to pass near the headquarters of the ruling African National Congress in Johannesburg.

ANC members in military uniforms who oppose the protest were posted outside.

The government appealed for calm and said it respects the right of South Africans to protest peacefully, a legacy of the struggle against white minority rule that ended in 1994 with the country’s first all-race vote and the election of Nelson Mandela as president.

Pravin Gordhan, who was fired as finance minister in a late-night cabinet reshuffle a week ago, was widely respected for his anti-corruption stance.

The Standard & Poor’s agency lowered South Africa’s foreign currency credit rating after the dismissal, citing political instability and threats to economic growth.

Mr Gordhan was seen as a counter to the alleged influence of the Gupta family, Indian immigrant businessmen who have been accused of trying to influence some of Mr Zuma’s cabinet picks.

The Guptas deny any wrongdoing, and Mr Zuma has said there was nothing improper in the way he chose ministers.

Mr Zuma and the ruling party have been weakened by other scandals around the president.

Mr Zuma was forced to reimburse some state money after the Constitutional Court ruled against him last year in a dispute over millions of dollars spent on his private home.

A South African news outlet posted photos of Mr Tutu and his wife, Leah, standing with residents at a bus shelter outside the retirement home where they are staying in Hermanus, near Cape Town.

Mr Tutu was shown smiling and raising a walking stick, apparently to acknowledge passing protesters.

The retired Anglican archbishop, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his peaceful campaign against apartheid, has criticised the ruling African National Congress for alleged mismanagement over the years.

In Johannesburg, police fired rubber bullets to disperse about 100 ruling party members who were making their way towards protesters, the African News Agency reported.

A few other confrontations were reported as police sought to keep groups of the president’s supporters away from anti-Zuma rallies.

The protests came as the Fitch agency downgraded South Africa’s credit rating to junk status, citing political turmoil and governance concerns.

The downgrade on Friday followed a similar move earlier this week by the Standard & Poor’s ratings agency.

Fitch said the cabinet reshuffle, in which Mr Gordhan was fired, will further discourage companies from investing in South Africa.

It also said the unsettled political situation is likely to weaken “standards of governance and public finances”.
Over 50,000 people participate in the ongoing Democratic Alliance protests in South Africa against President Jacob Zuma.