Members of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) picket outside the Western Cape Provincial Parliament. The demonstrators called for an end to what they described as political and economic ties between the Western Cape government and Israel.
Image: Henk Kruger / Independent Media
Pro-Palestinian activists protested outside the provincial legislature on Tuesday calling on the Western Cape government to stop what they described as the undermining of the country’s foreign policy stance.
Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) coordinator Usuf Chikta accused the DA and the provincial government of acting as “collaborators” with Israel by refusing to support South Africa’s genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and maintaining relations.
“We are saying that our sovereignty as a nation is being undermined, and we have collaborators within the GNU, like the DA, who want to align themselves with foreign interests and dictate how we conduct our relations at the ICJ,” Chikta said.
He added that denying the existence of apartheid in Israel goes against South Africa’s historical stance.
“The provincial legislature and the City of Cape Town have lit up City Hall and the provincial legislature in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, but have refused to do the same for the Palestinian flag. This goes against the values of solidarity we seek to uphold in South Africa.
“The Western Cape government must implement a full BDS programme and halt all trade with Israel.”
Chikta said the demonstrations would continue in the lead-up to Nakba Day commemorations on May 16.
Members of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) picket outside the Western Cape Provincial Parliament. The demonstrators called for an end to what they described as political and economic ties between the Western Cape government and Israel.
Image: Henk Kruger / Independent Media
ANC leader in the legislature Khalid Sayed said the campaign formed part of broader efforts to build an inclusive Western Cape grounded in international solidarity.
“Very importantly, we as the official opposition are going to take forward inside the legislature the concerns raised by the public,” Sayed said.
“They have come here to raise a concern that the DA-led government in the Western Cape is undermining South African sovereignty by failing to call out what is happening in Palestine.
“They contradict and undermine the stance of national government,” he said.
Matthew Sims, spokesperson for the DA in the province, said the party remained committed to democratic governance.
“We are proud to be part of a democratic country,” Sims said.
“We have proven across the country that we are the party that can be trusted to deliver quality services and uphold the standard of delivery all South Africans deserve.
“We will continue working to improve our country, giving voters a choice between failed governance and continued DA delivery come November.”
Cape Times