Ramaphosa ‘unfazed’ By Eff Threats To Disrupt Sona

President Cyril Ramaphosa said he was unfazed by threats from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) to disrupt his State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Thursday night.

The red berets issued Ramaphosa with an ultimatum over the weekend to fire Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan or face chaos.

The EFF said it wouldn’t allow Ramaphosa to speak as long as Gordhan remained a minister.

But Presidency spokesperson Khusela Diko insists Ramaphosa was not worried.

Ramaphosa is taking threats by the EFF to cause chaos in the National Assembly on Thursday evening in his stride.

Diko said: “I can assure you, the president is not losing any sleep over the threat of disruption. He fully believes in free political expression. It would be a lot more ideal, though, if such political expression would yield some sort of results. We don’t understand what disrupting Sona is going to achieve.”

Diko had some advice for the party led by Julius Malema: “The EFF may be better placed, for example, to use the energy they have to go on the ground, win elections and then set up the Cabinet that they would want.”

She was speaking during a briefing at Parliament earlier on Wednesday. Ramaphosa’s address will be broadcast live and is set to start at 7 pm.

EWN