PRETORIA, April 6 (ANA) – After the police declared a planned march to the Union Buildings by pressure group Save SA illegal but a court overruled the ban, President Jacob Zuma’s office said he was not opposed to it.
“The presidency has noted media reports that it has opposed a protest march to the Union Buildings in Pretoria tomorrow, 7 April 2017. The presidency respects the right of South Africans to protest peacefully as enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic,” it said in a statement.
“The presidency is thus not opposed to the march by SaveSA to the Union Buildings.”
The event is one of several being planned for Friday in support of mounting calls for Zuma to step down after he fired Pravin Gordhan as finance minister, prompting international ratings agency S&P Global to cut the country’s rating to junk status.
Save SA turned to the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court late on Thursday and secured an urgent interdict that overturned the decision by Tshwane Metro Police to prohibit the march.
– African News Agency (ANA)
