We are a tourist attraction now, complains Khoi-San protest group
The group has been camping near the Nelson Mandela statue at the Union Buildings for almost five years.
The Khoisan group, who has been camping near the Nelson Mandela statue at the Union Buildings for almost five years now, is unhappy that their protest site is becoming a tourist attraction.
King Khoisan SA said thousands of international and domestic tourists were now making their way to the Union Buildings, just to see them.
The presidency had still not responded to their memorandum after it was accepted by then deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa in 2017.
The group has been camping in tents outside the Union Buildings since then.
The group is demanding that the term “coloured” be removed from all official government papers and be replaced with “Khoisan”. They also demanded that the Kwadi-Khoe be listed as an official language of South Africa and for the Khoisan to be given land and resources to continue their cultures and traditions.
“After all these years, our demands are still a dream. It is sad that now we have become one of the tourist attractions at the Union Buildings.
“Promises made to us by the government were all lies.”
He said the Khoisan did not feel as though they were living in a democratic country, as they were still fighting to be heard.
Rekord has reached out to the presidency for comment regarding the protest lasting more than four years and Sunnyside police for exact criminal charges instituted to the King Khoisan SA and three clan members arrested on drug-related charges in January.
Listen:
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The king is due to appear in the Pretoria magistrate’s court on March 29, 2022, following his arrest last year.
King Khoisan said he still does not know what he is being charged with as court papers indicated the cultivation of dagga. However, during court processes, he was facing dealing in drugs charges.
Meanwhile, the Select Committee on Petitions and Executive Undertakings are considering a petition of the People Against Racial Classification (PARC).
PARC, a community-based NPO is calling for the removal of the word “coloured” from all official government forms, private institutions and the Employment Equity Act.
According to the petition, the word “coloured” is confusing, derogatory, racist and conceals the true historical identity of the Khoi and San people.
The petition called on parliament to review the race definitions of African and Black as defined by the Employment Equity Act, as confusion was created.
Petitioner Glen Arnold Snyman argued that it was also commonly known that every South African citizen is an “African”, including white and people of Asian descent.
ALSO READ: ‘Khoisan king’ arrested for cannabis
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