Several thousand people gathered in South Africa‘s capital on Wednesday (April 12) to protest against President Jacob Zuma following a much-criticised cabinet reshuffle, days after the opposition called countrywide marches to demand his resignation.
The protesters planned to march through the city’s streets to hold a rally at a field outside the Union Buildings, the site of Zuma’s offices. More than 60,000 people marched on Friday (April 7) calling for Zuma to quit, with the president accusing some of the protesters of racist motives.
Zuma, who turns 75 on Wednesday, has survived previous protests. But the main opposition party Democratic Alliance (DA) and other parties behind the protest believe they can drum up support to force Zuma out of office after he dismissed respected finance minister Pravin Gordhan in a cabinet reshuffle.
The ultra-left Economic Freedom Fighters and other smaller parties are also taking part in the protest dubbed “National Day of Action”. The opposition has called for a no-confidence vote against Zuma in parliament on April 18.
