PRETORIA, April 12 (ANA) – Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema on Wednesday urged activists from several opposition parties to observe strict discipline in the anti-Zuma march to Union Buildings in Pretoria. “You follow the road that has been given to us. You follow leaders. If you go and use other routes, and they arrest you, we will not be responsible. You act out of instructions given by the leadership. You do not act on your own because you will be destroying a powerful message,” said Malema to thousands of protesters at Church Square in Pretoria CBD. “Agent provocateurs should not be given an opportunity today. Anyone who engages in looting, or in disruptive activities, pull them by the trousers or by the skirt and tell them we are not here for those things. Unity of purpose is paramount.”

Malema charged his followers, who were the majority at the march, to tolerate members of other political parties at the protest. “Members of the EFF, allow other parties to be among you. We don’t want to see only red here. As we march, we want to see a mixture of all parties,” said Malema. The former ANC Youth League leader addressed the thousands of activists from parties including the EFF, Democratic Alliance (DA), African People’s Convention (APC), United Democratic Movement (UDM), Congress of the People (Cope) and Agang SA. Malema told the crowd that the protest on Wednesday was “a show of force”. Addressing the same gathering, DA national spokesperson Phumzile van Damme said opposition parties had resolved to put their differences aside for the sake of South Africa. “We are really honoured to be here today with other opposition parties. We have all put our differences aside because we all care about the future of South Africa. So as we march towards the Union Buildings, please may we all be disciplined and let’s be clear in our message. Zuma must fall,” she chanted. COPE leader Mosiuoa Lekota urged Zuma to “give way”. By midday, the protesters left the Church Square and headed to the Union Buildings, under strict police watch. – African News Agency (ANA)
Julius Malema addresses a large, multi-racial crowd in Pretoria before their march on the Union buildings.