ANC members, including President Cyril Ramaphosa, are seen wearing their keffiyeh and waving the Palestine flag.
Image: ANC/X/Supplied
While the inclement Cape Town weather saw the cancellation of the World Keffiyeh Day silent protest in Sea Point at the weekend, that has not doused the fire of the support for Palestine with other events scheduled to take place across the City this week.
The silent human chain event, which was organised by Cape Town Intifada and Deep South For Palestine, was set to take place at 2pm on Sunday but was cancelled due to safety concerns.
Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) chairperson, Jaamia Galant, said World Keffiyeh Day is used to mark the iconic black-and-white scarf which embodies Palestinian resistance, resilience and global solidarity.
“Worn worldwide, the keffiyeh is a visual protest against Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and its apartheid regime in the West Bank.
"A symbol of unbroken resistance, the keffiyeh’s threads weave a story of displacement and defiance.
"Born from the Palestinian struggle, it became a global emblem of solidarity after the 1948 Nakba – the catastrophic ethnic cleansing of over 700 000 Palestinians from their homeland.
“Today, as Israel’s bombardment kills over 50 000 Palestinians in Gaza and displaces 1.9 million, the keffiyeh reminds us that oppression is live-streamed genocide,” Galant said.
Deputy secretary-general of the ANC, Nomvula Mokonyane, said: “As the world anticipates the 77th anniversary of the Nakba, catastrophe for Palestinians, we wear our keffiyehs as a sign of resistance to oppression but also as a symbol of hope for freedom.
“As we wear our keffiyehs and mark Nakba Day on May 15, we continue to think of the suffering of millions of Palestinians but also continue to stand in solidarity with the people of Cuba, Western Sahara and Venezuela.”
Galant added that the PSC is inviting people to join on Saturday, May 18, 2025, at 12 noon at the Castle of Good Hope where they will commemorate Nakba Day (May 15).
Good Party secretary-general, Brett Herron, said: “The world is witnessing atrocious ethnic cleansing and genocide without doing enough to end it. Israel is acting with impunity and in most cases the support of western nations who preach about human rights.
“Multilateral mechanisms, like the United Nations and its courts, established to ensure that the world never experiences the kind of political movements that led to World War have been rendered impotent by member states who have acted selectively in their commitment to basic human rights and sovereignty.
“The people of Palestine have suffered under occupation and oppression for more years than any people should ever have to endure,” Herron said.
“We wear the keffiyeh in solidarity with the righteous cause for justice for Palestine and World Keffiyeh Day is just one of many important opportunities to remind the world and its leaders of the suffering that cannot be denied and of their duty to end it.”
Cape Argus