While a ceasefire been Israel and Hamas remains in tact for now, South Africans are still keeping the conflict in Gaza firmly on the national agenda. In Cape Town, activists from various organisations have taken it upon themselves to picket every Sunday for the past four weeks. The weekly picket takes place at the Sea Point Pavilion for an hour from 3-4pm every Sunday, where about 100 people gather in groups of 10 to show their solidarity with Palestine.

Rogeema Kenny, one of the coordinators of the initiative, said the legal picket only allows for ten people standing ten meters apart from each other.

“About 300 people gathered last week and spread quite far down Beach road but we are hoping to get some more this week because there has been a steady increase in recent weeks,” said Kenny.

Pro-Palestinian activists are hoping to put pressure on authorities in South Africa to take stronger diplomatic action against the Zionist state of Israel. Kenny has urged all those who are able to come out in support to do so and show their support for Palestinians living under siege in Gaza.

“These pickets will be going on for as long as the conflict continues in Gaza. The fact that there is a truce doesn’t mean that the war has ended,” added Kenny.

At the same time, a mass rally was held at the City Hall in Kwa Zulu Natal on Sunday, which brought together thousands of demonstrators. The event was also an interfaith gathering, in which various religions were represented.

Amongst the speakers were former minister Ronnie Kasrils and Shaka Sisulu, the grandson of anti apartheid stalwarts Walter and Albertina Sisulu and Code Pink co-founder Jodie Evans. On stage, activists re-issued calls for Woolworths to be boycotted, as part of a strategic campaign by the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement in South Africa. VOC (Imogen Vollenhoven)