CAPE TOWN, South Africa– 60,000 protesters marched in anti-Zuma protests on Friday April 7th after Zuma reshuffled his cabinet positions leading to yet another crisis during his presidency.  Protests took place across the country, but many were held in the country’s capitals Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Cape Town.

Protesters outside union building in Pretoria, South Africa. (Photo Courtesy of ABC News)

The protests were triggered when President Zuma fired Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan on Thursday.  This has not only caused distress among the public but also in the African National Congress party (ANC).  The ANC is calling on Zuma to step down as his leadership is continuing to affect the nation.  The firing of Finance Minister Gordhan caused S&P Global Rankings to downgrade South Africa to “junk”.  Other reasons were cited for the downgrade as well.

Although President Zuma is not set to leave office until 2019 protesters are still persistent.  Ailing anti-apartheid leader Desmond Tutu even made an appearance at protests, his foundations twitter posted “We will pray for the downfall of a government that misrepresents us.”  Protests across the country carried on relatively peacefully on Friday, with a few clashes between police and protesters in Johannesburg.  Citizens continue to be frustrated with the Zuma administration and the civil disobedience will most likely throughout Zuma’s tenure as president.

For more information, please see: 

ABC News – South Africans protest Zuma as country downgraded to junk – 7 April 2017

BBC News – Anti-Zuma protests take place across South Africa – 7 April 2017

The Globe and the Mail – Thousands of anti-Zuma protesters march across South Africa – 7 April 2017

Reuters – Skirmishes in Johannesburg as South Africans protest against Zuma – 7 April 2017

Author: Impunity Watch Archive