Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Thuli Madonsela Wins Twitter Showdown With EFF’s Ndlozi As Clicks Stores Wrecked [Video]

Yesterday saw Clicks stores across the country shut down, and in some cases damaged. On social media, there were also some heated exchanges.

[imagesource:here]

Get ready for day two of the EFF destroying properties, and risking the livelihoods of those they claim to serve, in order to score political points.

Despite knowing full well that shutting down Clicks outlets across the country would most affect those staff that work behind the counter and on the floor, the party went ahead, with deputy president Floyd Shivambu calling those staff “unfortunate collateral”.

Following the backlash from the racist advert which featured on their site, and has since been removed, Clicks Group CEO Vikesh Ramsunder issued a personal apology, but Julius Malema and his cohorts weren’t satisfied.

For example, there’s this, from Komani (formerly Queenstown), in the Eastern Cape:

News24 reports that “a woman shopper was taken to hospital” after she “fell down and injured her ankle after possibly slipping on a hand sanitiser which was thrown on the floor by the protesters, or after she was hit by a shelf”.

Across the country, at least 37 Clicks stores have been affected, with at least seven suffering damages. Clicks claims that 425 stores have been affected.

Despite the retailer’s efforts, reports TimesLIVE, legal help was not forthcoming:

In a statement, the EFF welcomed a court decision to dismiss Clicks’ urgent court application to bar the party from protesting outside its stores…

Clicks legal adviser Tamsyn Starck said in an affidavit that the retailer — which has 721 stores, 570 pharmacies and 13,251 employees — will be hurt by the protests.

“In the past 52 weeks, Clicks have serviced 1.3m chronic medication customers,” said Starck.

“Like virtually every retailer, Clicks has already suffered harm as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Clicks customers, some who rely on Clicks stores to provide critical prescription, will clearly suffer harm if stores are closed.”

UPDATE: News24 reports that:

The Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg has granted retailer Clicks an interdict against the EFF.

According to the interdict, the EFF or its supporters may not intimidate and threaten employees of Clicks working at its shops or any of its operations; intimidate and threaten Clicks’ customers visiting its shops, or incite violence against the ordinary commercial operations of Clicks.

Read that full story here.

The EFF, meanwhile, distanced itself from the damage seen in many Clicks stores, and in some cases, blamed so-called ‘outside agitators’.

Whilst social media was awash with personal attacks and heated exchanges, let’s take a moment to appreciate Thuli Madonsela’s approach.

Firstly, her tweet from yesterday morning, which attracted the interest of EFF Commissar Mbuyiseni Ndlozi:

Ah, I see he went for the ‘coconut’ angle.

Enter Madonsela, round two, with this retort:

Yikes. That is a deep burn.

Yes, she’s referring to the fact that EFF leaders ransacked VBS Bank, stealing the savings of poor South Africans to fund their lavish lifestyles.

Therein lies the crux of this entire episode. Clicks erred with a racist advert, and the relevant heads must roll, and institutional changes enacted.

Also, this is important:

But the red beret and overalls army destroying properties and shutting down shops, claiming to do so to better the lives of everyday South Africans, whilst their bigwigs knowingly stole the life savings of the most vulnerable members of our society, is just another example of how empty the EFF’s rhetoric really is.

[sources:news24&timeslive]