by Samantha Hartshorne
Johannesburg - While many citizen activists in Gauteng converged on Pretoria on Wednesday, a colourful group set off from the high court in Johannesburg to increase awareness of a different kind and memorialise the late Fezekile Kuzwayo, Zuma’s rape accuser, known in the media as “Khwezi”.
At the same time, Zuma was retracting his application to interdict former public protector Thuli Madonsela’s state capture report, around 150 demonstrators took to the streets in a bid to reclaim the identity and dignity of Kuzwayo.
And unlike the EFF march, there were no clashes with the police.
Dressed in purple T-shirts that bore slogans such as “Silence is not consent” and “Beware – women crossing the line”, the marchers sang “Enough is Enough!” and danced.
Comprising mainly women, they represented various non-profit organisations (NPOs) united in a common cause.
Their message and hashtag were clear: “Her name is Fezeka”.
Until her death, Kuzwayo was known as Khwezi to conceal her identity. Despite the courts having acquitted Zuma on the rape charge, Mpumi Mathabela from the One in Nine campaign, the organisers of the march, said: “Today marks 11 years to the day that Jacob Zuma raped Fezeka.”
She said November 2 was the day Kuzwayo accused Zuma of the alleged rape.
“Today is to reclaim Fezeka’s dignity and her identification. We chose the day that she remembers – rather than the date he went to court.”
The One in Nine campaign was started in February this year. Mathabela said it was a merger of NPOs with a vested interest in women’s rights, including People Opposing Women Abuse.
The marchers held posters with “Guilty” stamped in red across Zuma’s face. A few held #FeesMustFall slogans.
Mathabela said Kuzwayo lived a life in hiding and couldn’t enjoy the things most people take for granted.
“She was exiled and chased away by her family. She had to live in Amsterdam and Tanzania. Even when she came home in 2013, she couldn’t enjoy a normal life.
“Today’s campaign highlights the criminal justice system and its problems. She was killed by Jacob Zuma and the criminal justice system,” claimed Mathabela.
Hassen Lorgat, an activist and a supporter of the campaign, was one of the few men on the march, which made its way from the high court along the Rea Vaya path, to Constitution Hill in Braamfontein.
Lorgat was at the court when Zuma was tried in February 2006. “I remember standing there when Zuma was taken in. I'm supporting this because it is just great to see so many citizen activists.”