South African police have said that the planned opposition protests on Monday are not a mere shutdown but an attempt to overthrow the government.<\/p>\n
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The opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is organising nationwide marches to protest against the country’s power crisis and has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to resign.<\/p>\n
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“This is an attempt to overthrow the government. This is not a shutdown, but it\u2019s anarchy,” KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, said on Friday while briefing media on security plans to deal with threats posed by the protests.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe magnitude of threats differs from other planned shutdowns and that is why we have to be extra vigilant,\u201d Mr Mkhwanazi was quoted by local media as saying.<\/p>\n
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He said police have received no notices of any planned gatherings in the province, adding that over 18,000 security officers would be deployed during the march, eNCA TV reported.<\/p>\n
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President Ramaphosa on Thursday warned that anarchy will not be tolerated during the protests and called on security forces to “defend our people”.<\/p>\n
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Mr Ramaphosa said the only way to get him out of office and power is through a vote.<\/p>\n
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