On Sunday, March 19 2023, as South Africans held their collective breath on the eve of a proposed national shutdown led by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), questions about the true state of the nation was on the minds of many people.

Several debates emerged as we contemplated the impact of a national shutdown on the stability of a country already in crisis. The debates range from the political motives of the EFF to the line between calls to participate and threats of violence and the political prudence of a militarised state response...