Thousands in Cape Town and Johannesburg protest against Israel’s year of massacres
Calls for Israel to be isolated, as South Africa was during apartheid
The River Goddess Puppet created by Ukwanda Puppets and Designs Art Collective in collaboration with the University of the Western Cape (UWC) was at the front of a march against Israel’s massacres for the past year in Gaza and Lebanon. Photo: David Harrison
Thousands of people marched to Parliament in Cape Town on Saturday. The protesters called for South Africa to isolate Israel.
The march started in District Six at about 10am in sweltering heat. It marked almost a year of Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.
Since October 2023, Israeli forces have killed at least 41,000 Palestinians in Gaza. According to Al Jazeera, at least 2,000 people have also been killed in Lebanon. About 1,100 Israelis were killed in the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October.
Protesters carried placards that read “Don’t buy, don’t supply and don’t play with Apartheid Israel” and “Boycott Apartheid Israel”. On the route to Parliament, the marchers held a moment of silence.
Members of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) Cape Town and other organisations marched from District Six to Parliament to call on the South African government to implement the ‘Apartheid Bill’ and sanction Israel for war crimes. Photo David Harrison
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), the main organiser, called on South Africa to implement in legislation the United Nations (UN) International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid (Apartheid Convention). The Apartheid Convention is from 1976 and was aimed at the system of racial discrimination in South Africa.
The PSC said that while South Africa ratified the Apartheid Convention earlier this year, the next “crucial step is passing legislation to ensure compliance with its international obligations, a necessary action that would demonstrate South Africa’s commitment to justice and human rights”.
The demands included adopting and passing into law the Apartheid Bill; an immediate ceasefire and “end to the genocide and daily terror against Palestinians”, for the UN to ensure the return of displaced Palestinians and for the return of their stolen land and property, and for Zionism to be “declared a racist ideology and outlawed internationally”.
There were many placards on display. Photo: David Harrison
Professor Usuf Chikte of the PSC told GroundUp that the PSC had written to Supra Mahumapelo, chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation.
Chikte said there needed to be “consistency in what [government] says at an international level and what it does locally”.
“We would be complicit if we didn’t do that, especially in South Africa where we have coal fuelling the genocide, where there are still sports and cultural engagements, and diplomatic relationships. We call for the isolation of Israel,” he said.
“It’s a moral imperative for South Africa to do that, given that the Apartheid Convention was instituted in our name and for our rescue. That is why we should follow the example of what the world did to apartheid South Africa.”
He said that the march was already a success because of the education that has happened. “South Africans understand apartheid and they understand discrimination,” he said.
Protesters marched in sweltering heat. Photo: David Harrison
Megan Choritz, a member of South African Jews for a Free Palestine (SAJFP), said members of her organisation were “absolutely horrified and shattered by the atrocities committed” by Israel.
She said they wanted government to put their words into action. “The best way we believe that can happen is through boycotts, divestment and sanctions.”
“Now is the time to put more pressure on government to stand by what they started with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) case. We must make sure that all ties with apartheid Israel are severed,” she told GroundUp.
Last month, South Africa said it “intends to provide facts and evidence to prove that Israel is committing the crime of genocide in Palestine”.
“This case will continue until the court makes a finding. While the case is in progress, we hope that Israel will abide by the court’s provisional orders issued to date.”
“The case represents a growing global effort towards ensuring peace in the Middle East. Several countries, namely, Nicaragua, Palestine, Turkey, Spain, Mexico, Libya and Colombia have all joined the South African case against Israel,” said Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson for the President.
COSATU, SAFTU, Gift of the Givers, Western Province Council of Churches, Muslim Judicial Council, Al Quds Foundation, Equal Education and the Housing Assembly were among the organisations that supported the march.
Mahumapelo accepted the memorandum on behalf of the Speaker of Parliament and promised to give the protesters feedback.
Meanwhile the South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) issued a statement condemning the march in Cape Town, “unequivocally” rejecting “its premise and purpose”.
“This march, predicated on baseless accusations of genocide against Israel, not only propagates dangerous falsehoods but also trivialises genuine instances of genocide throughout history,” said the SAZF.
Thousands of people participated in the march. Photo: David Harrison
Protest outside US Consulate in Johannesburg
Hundreds of people gathered outside the United States consulate in Sandton to protest against Israel. The protesters condemned the role that the United States has played in arming and supporting Israel in its bombardment of Gaza.
Members of the South African Lebanese community joined the protest as the conflict has now spread to Lebanon with Israel bombing the capital Beirut and villages in the south of the country.
A man who only identified himself as Bilal “from Lebanon” thanked South Africans for standing up for the people of Palestine and Lebanon. “My parents are still there. All my brothers and sisters are still there. They have refused to move even with the bombing. Either we live free or we die,” said Bilal.
Peter Sadie, who also has roots in Lebanon, lamented the spread of the conflict. “We feel very angry when we see another country invading our country. And what the United States in doing to promote these wars is evil,” said Sadie.
A large police contingent watched over protesters as they marched outside the Consulate and blocked some roads.
Protesters outside the US Consulate in Sandton. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee
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