The Castle of Good Hope, its walls bearing the history not only of colonial and apartheid-era oppression and violence, but also of resistance by indigenous, enslaved, and oppressed people, was the site of the 77th commemoration of the Nakba.
It was here that hundreds gathered for a Nakba Day rally, calling for greater action and mobilisation to end a Nakba that has never truly ended.
Nakba Day is observed annually on May 15, bringing thousands of people to the streets in protest and in support of the Palestinian cause.
The term “Nakba” (Arabic for “Catastrophe”) refers to the violent mass dispossession and ethnic cleansing of at least 750 000 Palestinians and the destruction and depopulation of over 500 villages by Zionist militias between 1947 and 1949.
Around 15 000 Palestinians were killed, with more than 30 documented massacres.
Seventy-eight percent of historic Palestine was occupied by Zionist forces, upon which the state of Israel was declared. The remaining 22 percent comprises the occupied West Bank and Gaza.
The rally, organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), featured a series of ‘teach-ins’ for adults and children, including tatreez embroidery and art workshops.
The programme also included a solidarity exhibition, musical performances, and speeches.
PSC member Jaamia Galant opened with a moment of silence to honour the memory of all martyrs and the dispossessed of Palestine, those who have resisted occupation from the 1948 Nakba to the ongoing Nakba unfolding in Palestine.
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The Nakba of 1948 marked the beginning of the Zionist regime’s incremental genocide of the Palestinian people, Galant said.
“For the past seventeen months we have witnessed a second Nakba in Gaza as more than 50 000 Palestinians, including women and children, have been massacred and thousands more injured, left homeless and now driven to starvation by Israel’s siege of Gaza. There is no hiding the intent from Israel, with the unconditional support of the US and Western powers, to realise a second Nakba, and erase Palestinians from their land.”
Despite the violence, Palestinians have remained resilient in their resistance to the occupation and in their struggle for freedom, dignity, and the right to return to their ancestral land, she said.
“We honor the sumud and courage of the Palestinians and join all people of conscience in saying we will not allow another Nakba on our watch.”
Calls for boycott, divestment, and sanctions against Israel both in South Africa and globally were reiterated as a means to politically, economically, and culturally isolate Israel.
“We will intensify our calls on our government to lead the world in legislating sanctions against Israel, halting all trade, including coal, and prosecuting all SA mercenaries serving in the Israeli Occupation forces.”
Galant also called for Israel to be held accountable for atrocities committed against Palestinians and urged that those who support the apartheid state or are complicit in the genocide be publicly called out.
“…be they western imperialist governments that fund and provide arms to Israel or institutions that seek to silence criticism of Israel, or local Zionists who send their charities to keep up Israeli military operations.”
Farmworkers from the Women on Farms Project performed a play highlighting the struggles faced by farm workers and dwellers in South Africa, while calling for a moratorium on evictions from farms.
Since early October 2023, a weekly vigil has been held on the steps of St George’s Cathedral also known as the Freedom Steps, a historic site of protest.
A photographic exhibition highlighted these weekly gatherings protesting occupation and violence, expressing solidarity with Palestine, Congo, Sudan, and other regions.
A large banner reading ‘Kick Racist Israel Out of FIFA’ referenced the campaign calling for Israel’s expulsion from the international football federation.
Before the speeches, children and adults sat side by side, embroidering and painting symbols of Palestinian solidarity and resistance, or creating their own symbolic keys representing the Palestinian struggle to return to their homes in occupied Palestine. These keys were later hung on display.
A couple from Mamre, Johanna and Michael September of the organisation ‘Leif and Leed,’ sold handmade items made by people living with disabilities to raise funds for a dedicated support centre.
Johanna said: “We feel everything must come to an end. It’s not right that children and families must suffer so unnecessarily.”
Conscious Consumers for Palestine highlighted brands on the boycott list and promoted alternatives, such as Palestine Cola in place of Coca-Cola.
Solidarity was also expressed with Congo, Sudan, and Cuba, with activists calling for an end to the US economic embargo on Cuba.
Performing artists included poet and playwright Mike van Graan, musician Reza Khota, classical guitarist Derek Gripper, Siphamandla Arts Group, The Hilton Schilder Trio, composer and guitarist Bheki Khoza, and Hanover Park choir Tjommies.
One keynote address was delivered by Ronnie Kasrils, veteran anti-apartheid activist and former Deputy Minister of Defence and Minister for Intelligence Services.
Kasrils urged support for the BDS movement, describing it as a weapon once used against apartheid South Africa and now needed to isolate Israel and pressure governments that grant it impunity.
“And while citizens are being killed, the resistance will continue to fight. Look at the Palestinians, look at the people of Gaza. After 19 months of this dreadful massacre, having to bury their babies in shreds as we’ve seen, they do not give in. They’re holding firm.”
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Kasrils said while it was our duty to stand with the Palestinian people and the international community against imperialism and a new form of colonialism, what was needed now was also to ‘defend ourselves’.
“We can face the same fate as them, if we give up. If we let a new form of colonialism enter this country, it will be backed up for sure by the USA. It’s not just about our moral duty to the people of Palestine, the two go together.”
PSC’s Martin Jansen said that while it was not possible to directly assist Palestinians on the ground in Gaza and the West Bank, the struggle for solidarity continues here in South Africa, where much work remains. This was evident in the pushback from police at pro-Palestine gatherings and against activists.
“We also know that the NPA is not prosecuting (South Africans in Israeli military) as they are supposed to do. We also know about politicians in parliament who are covering up the genocide and supporting Israel.”
He called on the public to become members of the PSC and support its work.
The PSC also called for support in urging the South African government to adopt its Apartheid Bill.
Khalid Sayed, ANC Western Cape Provincial Spokesperson and Leader of the Opposition in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, shared the ANC’s message of support for Palestine.
“It’s (Nakba) a day on which the apartheid state of Israel was established. It remains a cancer not only in the Middle East but globally.”
“We remain firm as the ANC in government to pursue the ICJ case against apartheid Israel notwithstanding the pressure that is being exerted by the United States and others in this regard.”
He added that it was fitting for the rally to take place at the Castle of Good Hope.
“A place that was once a site of oppression of our people. A place that was a symbol of colonialism, yet we are utilising this space to express our opposition to Israeli settler colonialism, to express a liberation culture. Because it was also from here that those slaves and prisoners were kept and were part and parcel of fighting the Dutch imperialist head on.”
He said in the Western Cape, governed by the Democratic Alliance (DA)— a party that is part of the national government— there was a lack of alignment with the country’s stance on Palestine, as well as on other foreign policy issues.
“So as much as we stand here firmly in support of the people of Palestine, united in our diversity, our struggle also is here to bring equality in the Western Cape— to show that the Western Cape is part of the rest of South Africa and part of the free world that supports Palestine.”
Images: Shakirah Thebus/Salaamedia
