3 reasons why the EFF's shutdown may have been a good thing

So was the shutdown a success?

I guess it depends on who you’re asking. The EFF (unsurprisingly) said :  “Absolutely!” Malema with his trademark love for hyperbole, claimed that “it was bigger than the liberation movement during apartheid days.” Eh, maybe not quite... 

The ANC on the other hand denied that the “so-called shutdown” was more than a damp squib and thanked the citizens for ignoring the call to stay at home. 

Objectively, it is hard to say who was right. Yes, there were many people not at work, but then again it most probably would have been the case irrespective of the EFF’s call, since many people would have made a long weekend out if it with Tuesday being a public holiday. 

Some businesses closed out of fear of looting, but that seemed like a small minority. Of course, there would be some cost to the economy, but it is unlikely that the closures or absenteeism are to be blamed for most of it. Far more problematic was the message the EFF’s call sent to foreign investors. From my contacts it became clear that -  after reading the alarming media reports – many investors had even less confidence in the future stability of the country than before. 

Having said all of this, I can’t help wondering if Monday wasn’t perhaps also a good thing for the country.

Firstly, we now have a clearer idea of EFF support and it is not that much. Yes, there were a few big-ish marches in the main cities, but after all the free media that the media houses and governing party gave the EFF, one would have expected half the country to have rocked up. Yet, despite all the bluster from Malema and noise in general, the marches were relatively small and things remained mostly peaceful.  

A friend mentioned beforehand that Monday might end up being a referendum on EFF support. I agree. Ultimately, it confirmed what every political analyst worth his or her salt knows: the EFF relies mostly on young voters and those who actively support them remain a fraction of the total voting population.

Secondly, it was very clear that the police and security forces had something to prove after the disaster of June 2021. They were not going to be caught off-guard again and this time, they were definitely not going to let things escalate. 

Looking at the photos of the police being briefed beforehand, I had to admit that I didn’t know we even had that many active officers in SAPS. I was also surprised to see the videos of numerous army vehicles next to the highway in Johannesburg. Although I usually get very nervous at any deployment of the military inside our borders, this was strangely reassuring. 

I believe the security forces did well and might have restored some faith in their efficiency – not only among us, but also among foreign investors.  That can only be a good thing and  let’s hope the same level of visibility will remain on a day-to-day basis in future.  

However, the main reason why Monday might have been positive for the country is that it gave us something to focus on – and not on the EFF’s agenda, but something we can say “Hell no!” to. Yes, we are fed-up and annoyed with loadshedding and the lack of service delivery, but the vast majority of South Africans of all races still want the country to succeed and are against violent and destructive protest action. We made that very clear on Monday. 

As was the case with the 2021 riots, taxi drivers were adamant that they would not stand for intimidation resulting in a loss of income for them. On social media, videos showed taxi drivers even assisting the police with clearing roads of bricks and other barricades. Ordinary citizens also took to WhatsApp to report stockpiling of tires and other suspicious activities and the vast majority of people just went on with their lives as normal. 

When I was filling up my car at the petrol station on Monday, the attendant started talking about the stay-away. “This Malema guy is funny,” he said. “He wants us to stay away and lose money, but he claims he helps us. No, I will never support him.”

I’m sure that ideologically the gentleman would agree with a lot of what Malema says in relation to the lack of service delivery and loadshedding. In fact, I think most of us would agree with Malema that it is totally unacceptable. 

However, like the petrol attendant, it is the EFF’s suggestion of how to solve the problems that the majority of South Africans don’t agree with and that was clear on Monday. 
So, perhaps Monday will go down in history as a bit of a mixed blessing. If nothing else, the photo of Julius Malema holding Carl Niehaus’ hand during the march in Tshwane gave us all a good laugh! Talk about a match made in heaven.