Amid the ongoing crisis with Israel and Hamas, many South Africans protest in solidarity with Palestine.
The South African government has remained a strong ally of Palestine and has expressed concerns about Israel’s continued occupation of the West Bank.
South Africa’s minister of international relations and cooperation, Naledi Pandor, said during the second meeting of the Palestinian Heads of Mission in Africa, held in the capital, Pretoria, last year that South Africa experienced firsthand the effects of racial inequality, discrimination and denial. It cannot stand by while another generation of Palestinians is left behind.
People in South Africa were out in their numbers on Wednesday, the 11th of October, in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban to show solidarity with the Palestinian people in their struggle for justice, equality, and the right to return to their land.
The protesters included South Africans of all races and ages, and similar solidarity pickets took place in Cape Town and Johannesburg.
Some motorists waved the Palestinian flag and scarves, while others slowed down near the Tollgate area and popped out of their cars’ windows to show support for the protest action.
Since 2004, South Africa has engaged in Israeli Apartheid Week. The annual event gathers people in 250 different cities who support Palestine. The event is significant to many South Africans since the situation blares similarities to the apartheid policies rampant in the 1980s, and the legacy is still felt today.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called for immediate opening of humanitarian corridors in the Middle East.
The Economic Freedom Fighters of South Africa wrote in a statement on the 7th of October that, “The people of Palestine have been subject to violent land dispossession, bombings and infringements of their right to free movement and religion for decades, their response to this violence by Israel must never be misconstrued as the acts of an aggressor. These are acts of self-defence.”
Today marks the 7th day of the Israel-Hamas war. So far, there have been over 2,000 deaths of Israelis and Palestinians, close to 10,000 Israelis and Palestinians injured, and over 600 Israelis and Palestinians occupied in the West Bank.
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