Many South African delegates who formed part of the Global March to Gaza (GMTG), have returned home, with several others still arriving Monday evening and Tuesday, claiming they faced intimidation, detention, and roadblocks by Egyptian authorities.
The GMTG, was part of a global solidarity movement where on Friday, thousands of citizens from over 50 countries mobilised in a peaceful, civic-led demonstration to “demand justice, humanity, and an end to the ongoing genocide in Gaza”.
However, several South African delegates were among those who claimed they were intimidated and had their passports confiscated by Egyptian authorities at various checkpoints during their journey.
In a social media post over the weekend, former member of Parliament, and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mandla Mandela, who was among the SA delegation in attendance, explained that they were not allowed to proceed and were held for over six hours.
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Head of SA delegation, Basheerah Soomar, said in an interview on Monday that roughly 50 South Africans were part of their GMTC, and that their experience in Egypt had been an ‘unwelcoming one, as some had already found themselves being detained upon arrival at the airport’.
“They tried to detain as many people coming in, but they couldn’t prove why.”
Sommar said that as soon as the embassy opened, she spoke to the secretaries and the ambassador, so that they would be aware that people were coming.
The International Relations Department’s spokesperson, Chrispin Phiri, said: “Our embassy advised South African march participants that the area (near the crossing) was restricted and queried whether they had confirmation of authorisation from the authorities.
“This was not clear to the embassy during the initial engagements, and the participation proceeded.”
Phiri confirmed that full consular services were being rendered to citizens who came to Egypt.
Soomar said people were questioned at their hotels.
“Searching our phones and explicitly asking if we’re joining the march. So that obviously, there was leaked info about which countries were staying where. They didn’t take any South Africans into detention because they didn’t have any evidence. We all prepared for that and cleared all our phones.”
Soomar said claimed were followed by Egyptian forces.
“We couldn’t go ahead with the plan of getting fetched by buses because we knew we were being surveilled. Every time we exited the hotel, we saw police. A lot of us were followed by people in plain clothing, but we knew that they were intelligence.”
Soomar claimed that passports had been confiscated.
“There were three checkpoints along the route where we all got stopped. Some people made it to the third gate – those who had left earlier – and they ended up blocking 300 people there.
“I ended up at the second checkpoint, the same one that Mandla Mandela was at. That’s where most of us got stopped.”
“Some people did try to not hand over their passports, but when people started saying no, they actually started getting aggressive”.
“They kept us there for like five or six hours, and we didn’t have access to water or food.”
Thereafter, after more police forces arrived, an official told them they would not receive a permit for their march.
“There was no negotiation. It was very clear that it was a no. That was the first time we received an answer in two months. And then they were like, you have an ultimatum.”
She said people were put onto buses where they were driven around and dropped off at various spots in Cairo.
“We obviously didn’t stay at the same hotel because we… were still clearly being surveilled.
“We’re just encouraging our people to leave as soon as possible because as a global committee, we decided that no further activity will take place in Cairo… All South Africans are accounted for. So, we don’t have anyone missing. But we’re just trying to get everyone home safe as soon as possible.”
Ultimately, she said the experience has been frustrating, but “none of us have had time to process our emotions, as we’re still in fight and flight mode”.
Despite the challenges, she said that the goal is to keep the focus on what is happening in Palestine.
“We just have to keep pushing like the Palestinians have been pushing for over a hundred years. We can’t let it dishearten us…We’ll use the lessons to mobilise again.”
