Cape Town rallies for Palestine
Thousands demand an end to genocide
A mass march planned in Cape Town on Saturday, September 27, 2025, organised by a coalition of groups, including the Al-Quds Foundation South Africa, Muslim Judicial Council (MJC), Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), and others like the South African Jews for a Free Palestine (SAJFP) and the GOOD Party.
Image: Ian Landsberg / Independent Media
Thousands of Palestine supporters marched through the Cape Town CBD on Saturday, calling for an end to the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
The crowd, which included both young children and older citizens, marched from Muir Street to Parliament, braving the scorching sun while chanting “Free Palestine” and “Palestine will be free!”
Among the marchers was uMkhonto weSizwe Deputy President John Hlophe, who said: “The MK Party identifies with the goals of the Palestinian people.
"Their struggle cannot be separated from our struggle. It is a struggle for dignity. It is a struggle over the land of the Palestinian people. So we are here to support their cause.”
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MP Carl Niehaus added that his party stood fully with Palestinians, particularly the people of Gaza.
Niehaus said: “And especially with the people of Gaza, who are suffering so much because of the genocide that Apartheid Israel is committing. We call for the immediate removal of the Israeli embassy from South Africa, full financial and economic sanctions against Apartheid Israel, and for the genocide to be brought to an end."
EFF member Nazier Paulsen highlighted growing global awareness of the Palestinian cause.
“Despite attempts by right-wingers to deny it, there is a genocide. This genocide started in 1948, systematically seeking to eliminate all Palestinians from their homeland and create an illegitimate Israeli state. South Africans must hold to our legacy, isolate the apartheid state of Israel diplomatically, and impose economic sanctions so that a free Palestine can become a reality. In this place, Jews, Muslims, and Christians can live together in freedom.”
Palestinian Malik Mohammed, who fled her home, expressed gratitude for the support.
“They made me feel at home. South Africans are so friendly and sweet. Wherever I go, I feel loved. Our life before the war was perfect, and being here reminds me of that. This march shows that things can change, and that people care.”
The groups' key demands include the termination of diplomatic relations with Israel, suspension of economic, cultural, academic, and sporting ties, prosecution of corporations complicit in Israeli apartheid and genocide, and enforcement of Intenational Court of Justice rulings such as reparations, return of displaced Palestinians, and dismantling of settlements.