Anti-Zuma Protests across South Africa
Local Editor
Protesters are gathering in major South African cities calling for President Jacob Zuma to step down after the sacking of a respected finance minister.
Crowds are building ahead of demonstrations in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and the capital, Pretoria.
Zuma's sacking of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan led to the country's credit rating being cut to junk status.
The move has added pressure to South Africa's already embattled economy.
Thousands are expected to march and pictures shared on social media on Friday show large crowds assembling in Church Square in Pretoria, despite confusion over whether demonstrations in the capital are permitted by law.
Police said on Thursday that marches in Pretoria were illegal because they had not been granted permission by city authorities. But this was later overturned by a magistrate.
Protesters in the capital are planning to march to the seat of government, the Union Buildings.
In Johannesburg, where people are due to converge a short distance from the ANC headquarters, motorists have been advised to avoid the city's central business district.
Hundreds of veterans of the ANC's armed anti-apartheid struggle and members of the ruling party's youth wing have gathered outside its headquarters to protect the building.
The government, which has appealed for peace during the countrywide protests, tweeted that the laws in South Africa are also there to "protect the right of those who would not like to participate in protest action".
Earlier this week, a major decision-making body within the ruling ANC party discarded a complaint against Zuma that he had failed to consult executives before reshuffling his cabinet.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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