King Khoisan SA out in the cold at the Union Buildings

It has been 17 months since the Khoisan set up camp at the Union Buildings gardens after vowing in 2018 that they would not leave until President Cyril Ramaphosa meets their demands.

The small settlement, positioned next to the giant Nelson Mandela statue, has become a common sight when walking down the steps towards the bronze effigy.

But it was eerily quiet yesterday morning. After a few minutes of calling out to King Khoisan SA, he finally stepped out of his tent to brave the cold weather in his traditional wear.

“My nose is blocked now because I was trying to keep myself warm but I came out into the cold,” he told Saturday Citizen.

King Khoisan SA and his family walked to Pretoria from the Eastern Cape in November 2018. This time, they had returned to the capital city for good after their first brief stay at the Union Buildings lawn in December 2017.

According to the king, their demand was simple – to recognise the Khoisan as the original nation and for the term “coloured” to be scrapped. But their demands continue to be ignored.

The small part of the gardens has evolved into a settlement where a hand-written “Aboriginal Embassy Information” sign is placed at what seems to be the entrance.

Red tape cordons off the three small tents and a larger makeshift tent which houses the kitchen and bathing area. Outside the large tent is a washing line tied to wooden poles where winter clothes hang to dry. An empty fire pit is on the other side.

A Darth Vader toy can be seen at King Khoisan SA’s camp on the lawns of the Union Buildings, 12 June 2020, Pretoria. He had spent most of the morning in his tent to avoid the freezing cold. Picture: Jacques Nelles

Since the lockdown, the group of six has been short of food since they mostly rely on donations from tourists visiting the Union Buildings. Their meals now only consisted of mielie meal, but food donations have been trickling in, said the king.

Now, they also have to face the cold weather.

He laughs as he remembers how his cold body temperature had puzzled a thermometer during a screening at his son’s school.

“I had taken my son to school and when the ladies at the gate tried to screen me, the machine gave no reading. That’s how cold I was. It kept saying error. They tried seven times all over my body but it was always error. When they used the machine on themselves, it gave a reading. But when they turned it back to me, it couldn’t work,” he said.

The cold weather is expected to continue throughout the weekend due to a cold front from the Western and Eastern Capes.

Gauteng temperatures will range from a minimum of -3C and reach highs of 15C, said SA Weather Service forecaster Mbavhi Maliage.

“Temperatures may recover a little bit from Monday, but it will still be quite chilly,” she said.

But King Khoisan SA did not seem too concerned by the cold. His main worry was the influx of people coming to visit them since the country moved down to level 3 lockdown.

“They want to talk to us and it becomes threatening,” said the king. “Imagine if one of us gets the coronavirus – then it means we must all pack up.”

– rorisangk@citizen.co.za

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