South African police say the opposition protests scheduled for Monday are not just a shutdown, but an active bid to overthrow the government.

The opposition party Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is organising nationwide marches to protest against the country’s power crisis and has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to resign.

“This is an attempt to overthrow the government. This is not a shutdown, but it’s anarchy,” KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, said on Friday while briefing media on security plans to deal with threats posed by the protests, the bbc reported.

“The magnitude of threats differs from other planned shutdowns and that is why we have to be extra vigilant,” Mr Mkhwanazi was quoted by local media as saying.