Young Hearts 4 Palestine will continue to echo the voices of the Palestinians Photo Instagram/ Young Hearts 4 Palestine
Gqeberha – In the heart of Gqeberha, a group of passionate individuals has united under the banner of Young Hearts for Palestine. Their mission? To raise awareness and lend their voices to the ongoing genocide faced by the Palestinian people. These young activists have taken it upon themselves to make a difference, to be the voice of the voiceless by standing in solidarity with the people of Palestine.
Young Hearts 4 Palestine came into being in 2020, born out of the desire to shed light on the Palestinian cause in their city. The group, spearheaded by Nazleyleia Limbada – Moodley, and her cousin Zahrah Limbada, aimed to create awareness and support for the Palestinian struggle. With a handful of dedicated members like Zaahidah Meyer and activist Tasneem Fredericks, the group found its strength and purpose.
A call to action amidst the genocide
As the crisis escalated from the 7th of October, Young Hearts 4 Palestine found themselves facing an unimaginable reality: the horrors of genocide unfolding before their eyes. Disturbed and disheartened by the lack of global awareness, Limbada – Moodley and her organisation resolved to take action.
“I don’t know what word we could actually use that would describe it properly. It’s horrific and horrible and every single day it seems like we see a video or picture that’s worse than the last. What we find really disappointing in all of this is that people are still not aware and people are still having their slogan ‘save Israel’. I’m not sure what they want us to save Israel from because at this point do they really need saving? The only people that need saving and freedom are the Palestinians and I can’t understand how people don’t see that.”
Despite the despair that shrouded their hearts, they organised motorcades and have found ways to draw attention to the genocide occuring in Gaza and educate South Africans.
“We also had a discussion at the South End Museum where we invited the public to join us and we just had a discussion on Palestine. We had a few poems being read as well. This weekend we are having our big protest. After the protest again we’ll be selling cupcakes and some food. Most of our things are donated and what we do with the funds is we send it straight to Gift of the Givers. That is our way of supporting the Palestinian cause financially. With the protest, we want to pressure the government to take a more firm stance. It’s taken them one month and over 10 000 deaths for them to finally make the decision to recall the ambassador.”
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A plea for humanity
Despite the predominantly Muslim support, Limbada – Moodley emphasised that the Palestinian cause transcends religious boundaries. She fervently appealed to the broader community, urging everyone to recognise this crisis as a humanitarian issue, not confined to any specific faith.
“This is not a Muslim issue. This is a humanitarian issue but I think the more social media puts everything out there, the more support that we are getting. We just have to keep pushing and keep doing our best even when everyone else isn’t making a noise. We make sure to make a noise.”
With world leaders turning their gaze away from the sufferings of the Palestinians and backing the genocide taking place, there is no telling how long Israel will carry on with its ethnic cleansing. Yet as the days turned into weeks and uncertainty looms, Limbada – Moodley and her organisation remain resolute. In the face of a genocide, she has vowed to persist.
“We’ve been doing it for the last few years and we’ll continue doing it for however long it takes … One thing that we always remind ourselves and remind each other is that we will be the voice of the Palestinians. We always echo what they say. Whatever they need and they communicate with us, we will echo that. If they need some sort of financial help to rebuild, we will rally our community and do that. If they need support in any way and every way, we’ll do exactly what they need.”
Being threatened and harassed by those who side with Israel
For many South Africans, choosing a side to stand with is not hard. The Palestinian cause is one that resonates with South Africans who also suffered under an Apartheid government. However, there are those who side with Israel and Limbada – Moodley and her organisation has had run-ins with these people.
“There was an incident at one of our previous protests where we walked past an upstairs bar. There was a woman who wanted to pour her drink on us. She had it out and she wanted to pour but I’m not sure why she didn’t do it but in the end she decided not to do it. We’ve also recently got a few threats that ex IDF soldiers will be joining us. I think it was a death threat. They said they will bring their guns and all their buddies and they’ll shoot us and they’ll show us whatever they wanted to show us. Most of the time the people are very supportive. When we protest they hoot and they make a noise and they shout. It’s been more positive than negative.”
Despite all of this, Limbada – Moodley has vowed to continue to be the voice of the Palestinains. Echoing their calls for a ceasefire, an end to the genocide and the end to the occupation they have faced for more than 70 years. The cause of the Palestinians cannot and will not be extinguished by the few who wish to see them exterminated.
