The South African populist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party on Friday interrupted the President's annual State of the Nation address in protest of the presence of a former Apartheid-era leader, with one parliamentarian calling him a "murderer".
Speaking prior to President Cyril Ramaphosa's speech, EFF President Julius Malema said it was "incorrect" that F.W. de Klerk was invited to observe the State of the Nation address due to his record as leader of South Africa.
Amidst many grievances including power outages, 29% unemployment, widespread corruption and certain state-owned companies teetering on the edge of collapse, EFF protesters also said that the public enterprises minister, Pravin Gordhan, should step down.
Ramaphosa’s speech was delayed by an hour and a half as lawmakers with the populist party told him to sit down and argued that Gordhan should go.
Ramaphosa quickly acknowledged South Africa’s problems.
His term that began when the ruling African National Congress won last year's elections with its weakest victory ever has been challenging.
He has promised to eradicate corruption after his predecessor resigned amid scandal and has vowed to turn around the economy and create jobs for millions of people.
But Ramaphosa faces growing calls to provide clear solutions for the country's pressing issues.
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