At the eleventh hour, the ANC and two other organisations pulled out of participating in the EFF's protest in Cape Town on Monday, saying they didn't support calls for a shutdown or the EFF's claims that it organised the event.

The EFF's planned protest in Cape Town on Monday, 2 October, which the party has referred to as a "shutdown", suffered a significant setback when three organisations withdrew their support.

The ANC in the Western Cape, as well as civic groups the South African National Civic Organisation and the People's Movement for Change (PMC), announced at the eleventh hour that they would not participate in the protest for various reasons, including that it had been termed a "shutdown" and that the EFF had claimed to be leading the demonstration.

The organisations pulled out minutes before the multiparty press briefing was due to begin on Sunday to update the public about the protests.

"It was always our position that this was a multiparty march against the unlawful impoundment of taxis. It was never intended to be a shutdown led by one political party," said ANC Western Cape provincial secretary Neville Delport.

"The mixed messages emanating as late as this morning in the media have convinced us that it would be unwise to participate. We are opposed to any form of shutdown."

Delport was referring to an SABC interview with EFF Western Cape leader Unathi Ntame, in which he repeatedly referred...