Cape Town – Thousands of people armed with placards are lining the streets of Cape Town as part of the anti-Zuma marches taking place across the country.
The day of marches comes after President Jacob Zuma’s cabinet reshuffle last week during which Pravin Gordhan was fired as finance minister, prompting an investment status downgrade to “junk” by ratings agency Standard and Poor’s.
Save South Africa and South Africa First Forum are some of the civil society organisations taking part in the march.
Even though gale-force winds are blowing through the Cape, residents have come out in their numbers on the West Coast, in the Cape Town CBD, the Southern Suburbs, parts if the Cape Flats and in the Deep South.
Banners have been mounted on bridges that cross the M3 and through Plumstead, Kenilworth and Rondebosch, the groundswell of support gathered momentum from just before 10am.
In Sea Point, placard-carrying demonstrators voiced their dissent and up the West Coast in Blaauberg, a trickle of early protesters has blossomed into much larger crowds in their hundreds – all part of the growing "chain of unity “which will lead to the proposed march into the city centre from midday today .
Protesters have also been arriving at Parliament for the march.
The protesters from civil society organisations and the DA have assembled outside the entrance of Parliament waving banners, placards and South African flags.
Some of the people protesting outside Parliament are carrying placards for the “ANC to recall Zuma.”
Organisers are expecting 8 000 people to show up at the march in Cape Town.
Cars driving past are hooting in acknowledgement of the march.
The tone is angry, and protesters say they have had enough.
Olga Olifant, who joined the Save SA protest in the CBD, said: "Because we are tired of seeing our country going down, instead of growing. So our president needs to go. We need someone who has a vision. We don't have a say in our our country."
Jacky Jones said: "I love this country ... Zuma and Guptas – our country is not for sale."
A number of trucks with anti-Zuma messages are also on a go-slow on major highways.
Zuma has been under pressure for some time now to go. Even the ANC stalwarts asked him to go.
SACP deputy general-secretary Jeremy Cronin reiterated the call at Ahmed Kathrada’s memorial in Cape Town on Thursday for Zuma to go.
Cronin was one of the speakers at the memorial and Gordhan also addressed the service, and he spoke strongly against corruption.