By Muhammad Omar
Freedom of speech, freedom of association and the right to protest is enshrined in our Constitution.
Remove that and you are moving towards a repressive state.
The EFF wanted to stage a protest outside a school in the Western Cape.
The local residents became agitated and an altercation occurred where members of the EFF were assaulted and their property damaged.
Did the EFF members assault anyone or carry any weapons?
Whilst you may not agree with the EFF, the reason why we don’t see the damage and protests seen in Europe and the US is simply that the EFF is channelling their grievances.
South Africans have no idea how this country would be without a political party such as the EFF.
It’s their democratic right and as the “dice falls” and after the elections, you have to live with the EFF and all other politicians and political parties.
To think that New York will have to “board up” their stores for pending riots is more Third World than South Africa.
We have seen the burning of a Mercedes dealership and looting of a branded sneaker store.
You will notice in these countries the protests surround high-end localities and not poorer neighbourhoods.
Maybe US needs the EFF and Malema/Shivambu/Ndlozi to guide their politicians and civil movements regarding the economically marginalised in society.
In this instance, the school and local community should have created a “barrier”, allowed the protest and thereafter the matter would have gone unnoticed like so many marches in the Durban CBD.
As recently as two weeks ago, there were some electrical contractors protesting in the heart of the Durban CBD.
Vehicles were parked and I’m told after the protesters were asked to leave, they did.
This required me to do some fancy traffic “weaving” in a sedan car, but that too was not an issue.
Eventually I was out.
Once there was even some Ethiopian protest. That surprised me a bit.
The critical question is, where were the police in this fracas and when will arrests be made?
The Star