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Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) members seen outside the KuGompo City Magistrate’s Court where party leader Julius Malema was sentenced to five years.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have denied claims that their members forced businesses to close in the Johannesburg CBD. This follows complaints from traders who shut down operations for the day, after they were allegedly urged by party supporters to do so.
The supporters’ alleged requests came in the wake of EFF leader Julius Malema’s sentencing in a gun discharge case.
Gauteng MEC for Finance and EFF member Nkululeko Dunga says the party did not instruct any businesses to close and insists their activities are conducted in an orderly manner.
He added that temporary disruptions can occur in large gatherings, but denied any organised shutdown of shops.
“There is no such a thing. We’ve always undertaken programmes of the EFF with the highest level of respect and the highest level of discipline and this is one of such cases. But it’s not an abnormality when there’s such a large crowd that even shops themselves get to close down on the face that there could be anticipation of some level of disruption, particularly in terms of business. But there was no communication to the effect. We’ve never engaged any of these shops to do exactly that which you are claiming that they have done,” says Dunga.
VIDEO | EFF leader Julius Malema’s firearm case sentencing:
