Anticipation grows among crowds awaiting Zuma's arrival at Germiston Stadium

Children wearing t-shirts emblazoned with President Jacob Zuma’s face have descended on Germiston Stadium ahead of his address.

The children were bussed in by the ANC Youth League and the Congress of SA Students.

 Zuma‚ under fire from senior ANC members and civil society‚ is set to address the crowds in a bid to bolster his wavering support.

 This is after he fired finance minister Pravin Gordhan and his deputy Mcebisi Jonas in a cabinet reshuffle‚ which saw South Africa’s economy relegated to junk status on Monday by ratings agency Standard & Poor’s.

Zuma‚ speaking earlier on Tuesday in Pretoria‚ attempted damage control when he thanked Gordhan for the smooth handover of the finance ministry to his successor Malusis Gigaba.

Gigaba on Tuesday admitted that he had been pre-warned of the downgrade by S& P.

Zuma‚ who is expected to arrive at the stadium soon‚ is tipped to lash out at his critics‚ including members of the ANC’s top six.

Party secretary-general Gwede Mantashe‚ Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and treasurer‚ Zweli Mkhize‚ have criticised Zuma over the reshuffle last week‚ saying it was unacceptable that he had acted in a unilateral manner when announcing it.