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:
Find the nearest hell Thuli… when you get there, you know the cerebral thing to do. We need no approval from your coconut logic. Protest is the constitutionally right thing to do when authorities do not punish racism. #BlackLivesMatter & we stop Racism BEFORE it kills Blacks! https://t.co/E5Haa6uBFa
— Mbuyiseni Ndlozi (@MbuyiseniNdlozi) September 7, 2020
Ah, I see he went for the ‘coconut’ angle.
Enter Madonsela, round two, with this retort:
Noted sir. But seriously, shouldn’t it be those that steal from and abuse the poor for personal gain that not only go to hell but get a special place in hell sir? #Clicks #BlackHairMatter https://t.co/8QYyn8u9GH
— Prof Thuli Madonsela (@ThuliMadonsela3) September 7, 2020
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:
Unless you have been a victim of abuse you may not understand the pain of the issue. Unless you have been a victim of racism you may not understand the pain of the issue. It’s about not demeaning that which you have never experienced. 🤷♂️🇿🇦
— Simon Grindrod (@SimonPGrindrod) September 7, 2020
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.
