Today is a big day for South Africa. Whether you support the protests against President Jacob Zuma or not, many across the country will partake in a number of demonstrations.
We’ve put together a list of essential information, from where these protests will take place, the social media accounts and hashtags you should follow on Twitter and other networks, and the apps you should download if you’re interested in joining the demonstrations.
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Memeburn’s 7 April Protests coverage:
The protests across South Africa
Save South Africa, OUTA South Africa and the country’s opposition parties are organising marches against President Jacob Zuma Friday. These marches and demonstrations will take place in Durban, Pretoria and Cape Town, among other areas in the country.
Tshwane
After a Magistrate’s Court ruling, the march to Pretoria’s Union Buildings will still take place.
7th APRIL PRETORIA PROTEST & GATHERING AT CHURCH SQUARE IS STILL ON https://t.co/xpLycS1jMI @wayneduv @abramjee
— OUTA (@OUTASA) April 6, 2017
Save South Africa is also occupying the city’s Church Square for the remainder of the week.
Join us at Church square this week! We will be camping and occupying al week. join us and #occupychurchsquare pic.twitter.com/ujY3xHxhxQ
— Save South Africa (@_SaveSA) April 3, 2017
Details for the march on friday! #savesa #endstatecapture #VukaniMzansi1 #peoplesmarch pic.twitter.com/jt5qsuVXs8
— Save South Africa (@_SaveSA) April 6, 2017
Cape Town
According to News24, a number of organisations across the city will partake in a human chain protest. The venues for each include:
- The Main Road (M4) from Simons Town into the Cape Town CBD
- Voortrekker Road (R102) from Bellville into the CBD
- From Atlantis down Marine Drive (R21) into the CBD
- Jakes Gerwel Drive (M7), down Klipfontein Road (M18), into Mowbray Main Road (M4) from Mitchell’s Plain
Durban
The Democratic Alliance will lead a march in Durban.
KZN High Court interdicts ANC @MayorDurban from inciting violence,- @Haniffhoosen @Zwakelem #PeoplesMarch #Change19https://t.co/8zbMLf5GE5 pic.twitter.com/DeWCheZ81Y
— DA KZN (@DA_KZN) April 6, 2017
Johannesburg
The DA is also leading a march in the country’s economic hub. A number of people are currently stationed at Beyers Naude Drive (M5), near the N1 junction.
If you are joining us in Johannesburg for the #MarchforChange, please note the 10h00 meeting point : pic.twitter.com/Xlqipebp8I
— Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA) April 7, 2017
Live blogs and live video streams
These media houses are covering the protests across the country in real-time:
A number of publications are set to host livestreams of the protests on YouTube today. This list will be updated throughout the day.
Social Media
Whether you’re partaking in any public demonstrations, or not at all interested, you can still remain informed and provide comment on social media. Here’s just some of the ways you can.
Twitter will be one of the best ways to keep informed and follow the countrywide protests tomorrow, but Lists keep tweets from relevant sources together.
We’ve put together a few of these Lists for your perusal:
- Follow some of South Africa’s key politicians here
- Follow the country’s live, realtime trending hashtags and topics here
- Follow South Africa’s list of ministries and departments’ official accounts here
- A list of notable Tshwane-based accounts
- A list of notable Cape Town-based accounts
If you’re not one for Lists, you can copy-paste the below search string into Twitter’s search bar. All tweets matching the below hashtags and keywords will be displayed in an easy-to-follow timeline. We’ll be sure to add more hashtags and keywords throughout the day.
#peoplesmarch OR #endstatecapture OR #occupychurchsquare OR #stayawayfriday OR #nationalshutdown OR #antizumamarches OR #peoplesmarch OR #MarchForChange OR Tshwane OR #enoughisenough OR #unionbuildings OR #damarch OR #SAUnites OR #LuthuliHouse OR #zumamarch OR #savesouthafrica OR #peachfulmarches OR #uniteSA OR #SaveSAMarch
A number of counter hashtags have also emerged, supporting President Zuma and condemning Western Cape premier Helen Zille for her recently tweets about colonialism:
#HandsOffZuma OR #ZilleMustGo
Quick tip: if you want to search for more than two hashtags at a time in a single search string, separate terms using OR. AND can be used if you want to match tweets with two search terms.
Facebook’s hashtag system is more fragmented than Twitter’s, but it’s large South African userbase makes it an important tool during protests.
As for accounts to follow: Save South Africa’s Facebook page alongside OUTA SAwill provide news and updates regarding the protest.
The City of Cape Town, City of Tshwane, Democratic Alliance, ANC, EFF and South African Police Service‘s official accounts are also worth a follow.
The hashtags to search include #NationalShutdown, #StateCapture, #OccupyChurchSquare and #AntiZumaMarches. We’ll add additional hashtags throughout the day.
For live video and image updates few social networks can beat Instagram.
Notable accounts to follow include:
- The ANC’s official account
- DA leader, Mmusi Maimane
- The DA’s official account
- EFF’s national spokesperson, Mbuyiseni Ndlozi
Unlike Twitter, you’re unable to filter posts using multiple hashtags, but you can still use the above hashtags within Instagram itself. If you’re using a PC, you can also view them.
Apps
Plan to join the protest? Undecided? Have loved ones taking part in the demonstrations? Either way, you’ll want to download these apps to stay connected and safe.
Google Trusted Contacts (Android) or Find My Friends (iOS)
Why you need it: let friends and family know where you are at all times at their request.
Why you need it: keeps your personal and medical details close at hand should any situation go awry. Additionally, the app is able to call emergency services by simply opening it.
Why you need it: devices could get lost in the clutter. These apps can help you find your Android or iOS devices, or terminate your personal data if need be.
For a more comprehensive list of protest essentials:
