00:00:00
Speaker 1: 13 minutes. Let's bring in Dogo Zamkize, the representative of concerned citizens of South Africa now. They've called for a national shutdown today against exorbitant fuel prices. Dogo, a very good morning and welcome to the show.
00:00:13
Speaker 2: Good morning to you too and also to your listeners at home.
00:00:16
Speaker 1: What sort of response are you anticipating today from your call for a national shutdown?
00:00:24
Speaker 2: Firstly, response from the ordinary citizens on the ground. and also to hear the government response to the memorandum that we have already sent to him and to various other officials that we sent on the 10th of October.
00:00:45
Speaker 1: And what is contained in that memorandum, Dogozo?
00:00:48
Speaker 2: There are a lot of things that we detail there as our demands. But if I can maybe highlight one or two of those things, we were demanding that the fuel price should be cut at least by 50 percent. And also to make sure that levies like RAF and others, that we see that it is only or they are only sponsoring corruption in this country, the way in which they are handled. We are saying those taxes or levies should be cut from the petrol price that we are paying in different fuel stations. And also, we are calling for government and other leaders in Africa to ensure that they must take the intercontinental energy cooperation. Because as ordinary citizens, we do not understand how are we affected by what is happening in Iran. Whereas we have a number of countries in Africa Who are producing oil? Why are we not trading with those countries? Maybe, at a certain stage, we can pay 600 per litre in fuel.
00:02:00
Speaker 1: I'm mindful that you've got another interview for another Media House coming up shortly. So let me ask this. Have you had any reports yet coming in of which parts of South Africa are we seeing incidents of shutting down? In the previous hour, we got a call from a listener who was on the N12, November 12, near Lanasia, who said that that highway was closed in both directions. Is that in response to the national shutdown? And where are the other areas that you have reports of already?
00:02:35
Speaker 2: In fact, we really received that response. We did receive that response. In fact, that information, if I may put it that way, we received that information from one of our provincial organisers. There's something happening in 12th and other roads, in fact, major roads in the country. Remember, this is the cry of ordinary citizens. Even though we are a law-abiding organisation, And we do everything and anything within the parameters of the law. But we cannot control the anger of the masses on the ground. Because this thing of fuel is touching not only motorists, but everyone in South Africa. Even if you don't own any car, but when you go to a retail store, to buy groceries, definitely you will see changes which negatively affect you as an ordinary citizen. So whichever way they decide to react in this exorbitant fuel price, that keeps rising. We are expecting another fuel hike in November of 475 and another one in December. Totally. And we are expecting that people on the ground definitely will be angered by those announcements.
00:04:01
Speaker 1: I suppose make it make sense to us. How does taking an already struggling economy, shutting it down for an entire day help? We've got matriculants who are writing Isuzul, Iskosa, Swati, Isndebele. They're writing first edition language and second edition language today at nine o'clock. and some are writing agricultural sciences this afternoon. Those matriculants are going to be disrupted today.
00:04:29
Speaker 2: Firstly, let me say this. We cannot blame ordinary citizens for acting like this and say that we are considering those important issues that you've just raised. Because firstly, our government does not consider our economic conditions as South Africans. Number two, we do not understand as to how and why the neighboring countries that are getting petrol and other fuel from us are paying less than us. In Botswana, in Lesotho, in Swaziland, they are paying way less than us. We really do not understand that. And thirdly, we are not only affording to take our kids to school, to go to work, because it's an elimination period. then we are affording. We do not afford, even if it's a normal school teaching day or it's an examination period. We are saying to government, we are not affording as South Africans. Even to take our kids to school, even when they are writing examinations, we are not affording. Government must do something.
00:05:40
Speaker 1: All right, Ndogozo, we'll leave you. Thank you very much. anticipate that the next media house is already calling you. Thank you very much for your time. Ndogo Zamkize with the concerned citizens of South Africa calling for a national strike or shutdown, as they call it, for today.
Speaker 1: 13 minutes. Let's bring in Dogo Zamkize, the representative of concerned citizens of South Africa now. They've called for a national shutdown today against exorbitant fuel prices. Dogo, a very good morning and welcome to the show.
00:00:13
Speaker 2: Good morning to you too and also to your listeners at home.
00:00:16
Speaker 1: What sort of response are you anticipating today from your call for a national shutdown?
00:00:24
Speaker 2: Firstly, response from the ordinary citizens on the ground. and also to hear the government response to the memorandum that we have already sent to him and to various other officials that we sent on the 10th of October.
00:00:45
Speaker 1: And what is contained in that memorandum, Dogozo?
00:00:48
Speaker 2: There are a lot of things that we detail there as our demands. But if I can maybe highlight one or two of those things, we were demanding that the fuel price should be cut at least by 50 percent. And also to make sure that levies like RAF and others, that we see that it is only or they are only sponsoring corruption in this country, the way in which they are handled. We are saying those taxes or levies should be cut from the petrol price that we are paying in different fuel stations. And also, we are calling for government and other leaders in Africa to ensure that they must take the intercontinental energy cooperation. Because as ordinary citizens, we do not understand how are we affected by what is happening in Iran. Whereas we have a number of countries in Africa Who are producing oil? Why are we not trading with those countries? Maybe, at a certain stage, we can pay 600 per litre in fuel.
00:02:00
Speaker 1: I'm mindful that you've got another interview for another Media House coming up shortly. So let me ask this. Have you had any reports yet coming in of which parts of South Africa are we seeing incidents of shutting down? In the previous hour, we got a call from a listener who was on the N12, November 12, near Lanasia, who said that that highway was closed in both directions. Is that in response to the national shutdown? And where are the other areas that you have reports of already?
00:02:35
Speaker 2: In fact, we really received that response. We did receive that response. In fact, that information, if I may put it that way, we received that information from one of our provincial organisers. There's something happening in 12th and other roads, in fact, major roads in the country. Remember, this is the cry of ordinary citizens. Even though we are a law-abiding organisation, And we do everything and anything within the parameters of the law. But we cannot control the anger of the masses on the ground. Because this thing of fuel is touching not only motorists, but everyone in South Africa. Even if you don't own any car, but when you go to a retail store, to buy groceries, definitely you will see changes which negatively affect you as an ordinary citizen. So whichever way they decide to react in this exorbitant fuel price, that keeps rising. We are expecting another fuel hike in November of 475 and another one in December. Totally. And we are expecting that people on the ground definitely will be angered by those announcements.
00:04:01
Speaker 1: I suppose make it make sense to us. How does taking an already struggling economy, shutting it down for an entire day help? We've got matriculants who are writing Isuzul, Iskosa, Swati, Isndebele. They're writing first edition language and second edition language today at nine o'clock. and some are writing agricultural sciences this afternoon. Those matriculants are going to be disrupted today.
00:04:29
Speaker 2: Firstly, let me say this. We cannot blame ordinary citizens for acting like this and say that we are considering those important issues that you've just raised. Because firstly, our government does not consider our economic conditions as South Africans. Number two, we do not understand as to how and why the neighboring countries that are getting petrol and other fuel from us are paying less than us. In Botswana, in Lesotho, in Swaziland, they are paying way less than us. We really do not understand that. And thirdly, we are not only affording to take our kids to school, to go to work, because it's an elimination period. then we are affording. We do not afford, even if it's a normal school teaching day or it's an examination period. We are saying to government, we are not affording as South Africans. Even to take our kids to school, even when they are writing examinations, we are not affording. Government must do something.
00:05:40
Speaker 1: All right, Ndogozo, we'll leave you. Thank you very much. anticipate that the next media house is already calling you. Thank you very much for your time. Ndogo Zamkize with the concerned citizens of South Africa calling for a national strike or shutdown, as they call it, for today.
