Dozens of Ukrainians and their supporters gathered outside the Russian consulate in Cape Town on Friday to protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Organised by the Ukrainian Association of South Africa (UAZA), the picket marked three years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, and ten years since the illegal annexation of Crimea.
Picketers chanted “Occupation is not peace” and “Stop Putin. Stop the war,” while waving Ukraine’s blue and yellow flag. They sang their national anthem and performed a play depicting the devastation caused by Russian missile attacks. The picket also aimed to honour the victims of the war and to demand accountability and a sustainable peace solution.
“Ukraine needs just, long-lasting peace,” said Dzvinka Kachur of UAZA. She described the 2022 invasion as an extension of the war that began in 2014 and urged South Africa to take a stand. “South Africa has a strong voice in Africa and has condemned other wars. We hope that South Africa will also raise a voice for Ukrainians.”
Kachur’s parents and siblings still live in Kyiv, while she has been in South Africa since 2011.
A woman drenched in fake blood took part in a performance at the protest on Friday.
Kateryna Fedkina says that her 70-year-old mother left Kherson City with only a single handbag. Fedkina, who has lived in South Africa for 17 years says that the city has been bombed relentlessly. “I will not recognise my city,” she says.
According to the United Nations, more than 30,000 civilians have been confirmed dead, and millions have been displaced since the war began.
In June 2023, President Cyril Ramaphosa told Russian President Vladimir Putin the war in Ukraine must end.
It has been widely report on Friday that Ramaphosa has invited Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to a state visit in South Africa.
Protests are also planned in Durban on Sunday and Pretoria on Monday.
Brie, a Maltese, took part in the protest.
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