Presidency says Monday will be normal day

 Spokesperson to President Cyril Ramaphosa Vincent Magwenya said that Monday, 20 March will be a normal day for the president.

This comes as the Economic Freedom Fighters are ready to embark on a national shutdown.

“This is a programme that supports the President’s focus on the issues that concern South Africa the most, and which the President listed as such in the State of the Nation Address on 9 February 2023.

ALSO READ: National Shutdown: Here are 13 things you need to know so far

Those concerns which shape the programme of the President and government are:

• Load-shedding.
• Unemployment.
• Poverty and the rising cost of living, and
• Crime and corruption

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PROGRESS MADE IN TERMS OF LOAD SHEDDING

 
“The deliberations of the Cabinet meeting chaired by the President just four days ago reflect government’s clarity and urgency in addressing these priorities.
 President Ramaphosa noted progress in such areas as the opening of a bid window for a 513 megawatts (MW) of battery storage capacity as part of our response to the energy challenge.

ALSO READ: Eskom SUSPENDS load shedding, for now
 
“The President also welcomed a regulatory exemption granted to Eskom by the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Ms Barbara Creecy, that will later this year allow Kusile Power Station to resume generation capacity of 2 100 megawatts (MW) which will reduce South Africa’s exposure to load-shedding by two levels,” said Magwenya.

MONDAY WILL BE A NORMAL DAY SAYS THE PRESIDENCY

He added that Mondays are normally reserved for the President to attend to his role as President of the governing African National Congress, and nothing will change.

[WATCH] President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya says Monday will be a normal business day and that the President will attend to his duties as the leader of the ANC. #NationalShutdown #Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/7qiSmBqGBh

— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) March 19, 2023

EFF WARNS THE POLICE NOT TO ENTERFERE WITH NATIONAL SHUTDOWN

Meanwhile, the EFF warns police not to provoke them during the national shutdown on Monday, 20 March.

“We see that Ramaphosa wants to turn this state into a dictatorship by unleashing the army, unleashing the police on a peaceful protest. We won’t allow that,” said Omphile Maotwe, EFF Treasurer-General in an interview with Newzroom Afrika.

ALSO READ: Steenhuisen takes legal steps over school pit toilets

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