SA’s voyage of hope: breaking the siege of Gaza

South African activists join an international flotilla mission to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, carrying humanitarian aid and embodying the spirit that once fuelled the anti-apartheid movement. Led by Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla Mandela and inspired by previous solidarity missions, these brave citizens are determined to deliver essential supplies despite the risks, declaring that Palestinians will not stand alone, writes Professor Usuf Chikte

- Professor Usuf Chikte

THE Global Sumud Flotilla with more than 50 boats from 44 countries, is sailing to Gaza to deliver food and medicine and to break Israel's illegal blockade.

Ordinary people are doing what governments should and have failed to do: upholding the duty to protect Palestinians from genocide.

Israel's record is clear. Previously it hijacked aid ships in international waters, detaining and brutally assaulting volunteers.

Such attacks expose not only Israel’s crimes, but also the cowardice of states that remain silent.

From the southern tip of Africa, a powerful message of solidarity is cutting across continents and oceans. As the world watches, a courageous and diverse group of South Africans joins the Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza, embarking from Tunis, to challenge the illegal and inhumane siege.

This mission, with hundreds of people, is one of profound humanity. It is an act of peaceful, principled defiance to deliver much-needed humanitarian aid to people under Israel’s genocide, and to end the 18-year blockade.

This mission is rooted in the same spirit that guided the international anti-apartheid movement and carries a simple, undeniable truth: the people of Gaza are not alone.

As former MP Mandla Mandela, a grandson of Nelson Mandela and a key member of this mission, powerfully states: “As you know, our struggle for liberation is intertwined with the struggle of the Palestinian people. They inspired us during our darkest days and supported our cause until we attained our freedom.”

The South African contingent on the Global Sumud Flotilla stands on the shoulders of our brave compatriots.

In 2010, journalist Gadija Davids was on board the MV Mavi Marmara, as part of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, when Israeli commandos violently assaulted it in international waters, killing nine and injuring 30.