A group of Cape Town women, under the banner of Mothers4Gaza, held a silent protest outside the Cape Town Holocaust & Genocide Centre on Sunday morning.
The peaceful protest called for an end to the genocide in Gaza and urged the centre to take a clear, principled stance.
Dressed in all black, the women wore white signs pinned to their clothing bearing words they most identify with, such as ‘granny’, ‘mother’, ‘daughter’, ‘sister’, ‘activist’, ‘human’, ‘anti-Zionist’, ‘Christian’, and ‘Jew’.
Together they marched silently, their mouths taped, symbolising not only the silence surrounding the genocide in Gaza, but also the silencing of voices speaking out against Israel’s mass killing and starvation of Palestinians in Gaza.
The collective said in a statement that the gathering was deeply personal for many of those taking part.
“As South African mothers and descendants of those displaced by apartheid, we carry a profound understanding of state violence, forced removals, and the long road to justice.”
They said the silent march to the centre honoured not only those in Gaza, but also the memory of their own mothers and ancestors who never lived to see their freedom realised.
Each woman held a letter, and together they formed the phrase “STOP THE GENOCIDE.”
While official figures place the number of Palestinians killed by Israel since October 7, 2023, at 53,762 and those injured at 121,950, these numbers are widely believed to be significantly underreported.
In July 2024, a publication titled ‘Counting the Dead in Gaza: Difficult but Essential’, published by the reputable medical journal The Lancet stated “it is not implausible to estimate that up to 186 000 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza”.
Two busloads of children were dropped off at the centre, and with permission from the children’s educators, protester Donnelly McCleland spoke to them about the situation in Gaza highlighting that Palestinian children there have been unable to attend school for nearly two years now.
McCleland said: “People are dying, brutally. I heard about a lady on Friday, a mother who lost nine of her 10 children and I can’t imagine the heartache. I don’t know how one puts one’s life back together again. And this is repeated over and over and that’s why I’m here today outside the genocide museum in Cape Town.”
Although their mouths were taped, the group responded to aggression and verbal attacks from individuals entering or exiting the building.
When a woman exiting the centre angrily remarked that there were children inside, showing apparent upset over the sign and their presence, the group responded that children in Gaza are being killed and have no safe place to go.
One visitor deliberately brushed a protester with their vehicle upon leaving and then sped off.
While the group stood in silent protest, two Metro Police and Law Enforcement vehicles arrived at different times, inquiring about the reason for the gathering and stating that they had received complaints.
Another protester, Naima Omar, questioned how perpetrators of mass killings can bear the weight of their actions, referencing the state-sanctioned mass murder of Palestinians by Israel.
“It’s been going on for over 500 days and the massacre is just completely and utterly inhumane,” Omar said.
“The holocaust and genocide didnt just occur to one particular race and religion, it happened all over the world,” Omar said.
“My practice as an artist is about generational trauma and that generational trauma is handed down from one generation to the next and is never acknowledged… Palestinians are not even afforded a decent burial. I know because I go to funerals and the solemnness and the dignity that is afforded to the dead for what they have left behind, for what they have borne and nourished, the Palestinians are not even given that in death. They are not even buried when they are dead, they are buried when they are alive.”
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Lindy Briginshaw reflected on how a visit to the Auschwitz concentration camp many years ago had an unforgettable impact on her and how years later, she finds it deeply troubling that many descendants of victims are unable to recognise the genocide of Palestinians or speak out against it.
Wendy Lewin shared that her Christian faith compels her to speak out against any violence toward any group of people.
She said it was necessary to raise her voice against the violence and starvation faced by Palestinians in Gaza, calling for a ceasefire, the delivery of humanitarian aid, and an end to the genocide.
According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), no humanitarian aid entered Gaza for over 11 weeks (from March 2 to May 18) due to the siege imposed by Israeli authorities.
Protester Irene Govender said: “As a mom and as a human being, we nurture and we give life, and we can’t be silent in the face of the devastation that is happening in Gaza… We were demonstrating at the Holocaust and Genocide museum because they stand for the values of upholding human rights, diversity and dignity for all people- yet they are complicit in their silence, with the onslaught that is going on in Gaza. Never again should be never again for all people, not just for one. And we need to stop the genocide of Palestine.”
Another protester, Thandi, said a genocide doesn’t have to unfold in exactly the same way as a previous one to be recognised as such.
One of the convenors, Ayesha Bagus, said reports indicate that 70% of those affected by the genocide in Gaza were mothers and children.
“Kids are being intentionally starved. We see Israelis blocking aid, destroying aid. This is a live streamed genocide and we felt it was important for the Holocaust and Genocide Centre to acknowledge what has happened because ‘never again’ is now, and it cannot be selective. We will continue standing up for these families and these innocent people in Palestine as Israel bombards them with bombs and military tech.”
Image: Shakirah Thebus/Salaamedia
