A group of Khoi-San men and women continued to protest outside Nasrec in Johannesburg on the second day of the African National Congress’s national elective conference on Sunday.
“We have come to bring to the attention of the 54th conference of the ANC that some things went very wrong in the country and it can’t go uncontested,” Khoi-San liberation and mass movement national co-ordinator Anthony Philip said.
People called “coloured” were being paraded under a false identity that had been imposed by the colonialist and the apartheid regime, and the current government had failed to address the issue, he said.
“A government we all fought for very hard is disheartening and disappointing that in 24 years the ANC has not seen the way open to correct the injustice of the past. So we are here to tell them we want you to correct what is an injustice towards the indigenous first nation of this country,” Philip said.
The group wanted the government to officially recognise their community as the first citizens in South Africa. They demanded that government make their language official, and also that the “land act” to be scrapped or amended, as it held them back from owning land.
“Let us abolish this title called coloured with immediate effect; let us engage these people so that they can go back to who they authentically are,” said Philip.
Khoi-San movement national president chief Joseph Marble said the protest was “making a difference”, as some ANC members had approached them and told them to keep up the fight.
“They said, you are our parents and we are going to fight for you inside. As I’m standing here I’m also ANC and I believe in the ANC, just that our leaders forget us,” Marble said, adding that the ANC’s new leadership were expected to rise and recognise the Khoi-San as the first nation.
“Our children in school should be taught the truth about where they are coming from and must be told that the Khoi-San is the first indigenous people,” he said.
The protesters claimed they were harassed by security personnel on their first day of protest on Friday.
“Our reception was sweet, sour. One security [officer] shouted at us to go stand elsewhere. We took him on, telling him that he must not confuse our attire [to] that of animals because we wear skins,” Khoi-San activist Christian Martin said.
Despite the hardship, the protesters have vowed to continue protesting until they catch the attention of President Jacob Zuma or his deputy Cyril Ramaphosa.
– African News Agency (ANA)
