The four Khoisan activists who have been camping outside the Union Buildings since the beginning of this month have vowed to continue with their hunger strike until their demand for an audience with President Jacob Zuma or his deputy Cyril Ramaphosa is met.
They have kept up their hunger strike for the past sixteen days and one of them, Chris Martin was admitted to hospital on Wednesday after complaining of chest pains. Their leader, Chief Khoisan SA, says this is a matter of life and death.
“So you see the medical team as well that they are coming here to check us, we are starting to feel dizziness, we have pains in our hearts, but we have made it clear to him that we will stay here until the first of January, but it would mean that they will have to carry up bodies to the union buildings because by that time we will be dead.”
The Khoisan activists’ demands relate to land claims and recognition of their identity as the first people to live in South Africa. They also demand that their language be recognised as one of the country’s official languages and not merely appear on the national coat of arms.
[Source: SABC]