Cape Town – A meeting by a collective of tribes and organisations belonging to the Khoisan indigenous nations is expected to take place at the site of their current occupation on Table Mountain.
A group initially consisting of six people had started occupying the site at Cecilia forest on October 24.
Shaun (|khaeb) Macdonald said on any given day, about a dozen people could be found on the site.
He said the meeting, scheduled for Thursday, would allow those interested in the occupation to be briefed and discuss a way forward.
The collective would create a cultural space wherein discussions could take place.
“As can be witnessed across the globe, indigenous people are fighting to reclaim their indigenous rights. This is predominantly within countries where the government is slow to rectify past injustices. In South Africa, this is the reality within most spheres of government. We are therefore following the example set by other indigenous people, and fighting for our rights,” said Macdonald.
He said the action was protected by international law, namely the Aboriginal Title and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
The Aborginal Title refers to indigenous people’s intrinsic right to land. UNDRIP was officially adopted by the United Nations General Assembly September 13, 2007.
Macdonald said the group was within their rights to make sure these were implemented in South Africa.
“Hoerikwaggo, now known as Table Mountain, has a strong spiritual link to our people, and we are occupying the mountain to create a space where we can yet again learn and practise our culture, traditions and language in the same spaces our ancestors did.”
The intention behind the reclaiming of the area was not just culturally influenced, but economically motivated, as many were “grossly excluded” from the economic benefits of the area, specifically Table Mountain, he added.
This is not the first occupation by the group. For the past six to seven months, others have occupied a forest in Kluitjieskraal, Wolseley and have successfully started farming on the land.
Cochoqua Khoisan tribe counsellor Miles Jacobs said those who had taken occupation were from the Cochoqua, Goringhaiqua, Goringhaicona and the Gorachouqua tribes.
He said the action was taken to reclaim the mountain for Khoisan indigenous people, and to restore the Khoina Kingdom.
“The decolonisation process requires that you revert to the last independent state before the colonial invasion of 1652. For the Khoi Khoi people that was the Khoina Kingdom. We will restore our Khoina Kingdom which was west of the Kei River, to full sovereignty within the borders of South Africa as allowed by the UNDRIP.”
SANParks spokesperson Lauren Clayton said members of the public alerted the Table Mountain National Park of a group of around six people erecting structures in a section of Cecilia Forest, on Sunday, October 25.
Rangers and law enforcement responded and found several structures already erected and a camp fire lit. The structures were removed and the fire put out.
“The group was informed by both rangers and city law enforcement they are not allowed to occupy an area without authorisation.”
She said a case of land invasion has been opened at the Wynberg police station.
Cape Argus