Cape Town , 25 January 2023: Hundreds of Democratic Alliance (DA) members marched through the streets of Cape Town to the provincial offices of the ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), top protest continued rolling electricity blackouts in the country and a proposed 18.65% electricity price increase by the country’s energy regulator NERSA (National Energy Regulator of South Africa).

The march was led by key figures ins the DA including Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and Ivan Meyerthe Western Cape leader of the party. The march started in Hanover Street and proceeded down Darling Street and passed the ANC provincial office in Adderley Street. The DA was met by angry ANC members who prevented them from handing over a memorandum of demands. The march then stopped in Spin Street where the DA leadership addressed the crowd.

The main march was held in Johannesburg where party leader, John Steenhuisen, led a march to the ANC’s offices at Luthuli House in the Johannesburg CBD. Since yesterday ANC structures had called on ANC members to gather at Luthuli house in order to defend their head office.

South Africa has been experiencing rolling blackouts of different stages of severity since 2007. Recently the country was pushed to stage six. Eskom, the country’s national power utility, recently announced the country could have permanent stage two blackouts for the next two years.

The march was also joined by members of the ACDP (African Christian Democratic Party) and the Cape Independence Movement. Cape Independence Movement flags, similar to the US southern confederate flag could be seem bobbing above the crowds. The Cape Independence movement is calling for the province to secede from the Republic of South Africa.