Dressed in traditional Khoisan attire and camping outside
the Union Buildings for nearly two weeks. Four men protesting for their language
to be recognised met with the Cooperative
Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) director general (DG) Mzamani
Mwaila.
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The Khoisan tribesmen say they walked barefoot for 18 days
from their homes in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, to reach Pretoria, with an
intention to meet Zuma or his deputy, Cyril Ramaphosa. It has been 11 days
since they arrived and set up camp on the lush greens at the Union Buildings –
the official seat of the South African government.
Unlike their tribal attire, the men have erected four modern
tents near the statue of Nelson Mandela, they have circled their camp with seed
pods. They also used the pods to write telling words “First Nation” inside the
circle.
Bare-chested and wearing only a loin covering made of animal
skin, 49-year-old tribe leader Chief
Khoisan SA, Shane Plaatjies (23), Brendon Billings (37), and Christian
Martin (37), appeared determined to hand over their memorandum to the president
or his deputy.
In the memorandum, the indigenous Khoisan
tribe is demanding recognition from the South African government as
“first citizens”.
“Our second demand is that government must make our language
official,” says Chief Khoisan SA.
When approached by DG Mwaila, at first the men were
reluctant to hand over their memorandum, because they feared it would not reach
the president.
But after Mwaila promised them he would make sure his boss
Cogta Minister Des van Rooyen, received the memorandum, after which it would be
passed onto to the president’s office, they relented.
“For us, it’s a big thing that we were actually able to hand
over the memorandum to the department of Cogta. We said that they must use the
memorandum to get us to meet the president,” explains Martin.
He, however, says that the ultimate aim was to meet Zuma and
discuss their grievances.
The tribesmen said they have been praying and fasting for
the last four days. They have survived only on water.
“We just asking for God to give us the power to sustain this
fast until we meet the president.”
Chief Khoisan SA said the Land Act must be scrapped or amended because it was making it difficult for them to own land.
He said the tribe’s representatives have tried numerous
times to raise their issues by going to Parliament in Cape Town, but they felt
they were ignored.
Martin said they want to be recognised as Khoisan, San or
Bushmen. “Why recognise us through the coat of arms, use the language? We are
the first indigenous people, Coloureds are not the first indigenous people, the
Khoi-Khoi are the first indigenous people,” Martin said. He, however, said the
Khoisan don’t have a problem with people who want to be called Coloured.
Despite all the hardship, Martin said they have come far to
give up now and vowed they are not going home until Zuma or Ramaphosa addresses
them. “To walk 1 200km you know what you are busy with, to come
sleep here even if it’s for one day you know what you are busy with. We made up
our minds. I can’t go home, in my constituency I’m a leader there. I would
rather die here than go home,” he declares.
Source: eNCA
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