Overwhelmed with emotion, Hajar Kagiso Al Thaira Ahjum Mathee is embraced as she arrives at O.R. Tambo International Airport, after her traumatic experience of detention during the Gaza flotilla mission.
Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers
South African delegates from the Global Sumud Flotilla return home after enduring a traumatic detention in an Israeli prison, sharing harrowing accounts of violence and calling for action against complicity in genocide.
A wave of emotion, determination, and raw testimony swept through O.R. Tambo International Airport on Saturday, as the six South Africans arrived home.
Kidnapped in international waters while attempting to deliver life-saving aid to Gaza, the activists—Moghamed Faeek Afriedien, Hajar Kagiso Al Thaira Ahjum Mathee, former Ambassador Faizel Moosa, Qutb Hendricks, Ebrahim Peters, and Yusuf Rahman — were greeted by jubilant family members and supporters from the Palestinian Solidarity Alliance and Global Sumud South Africa.
An emotional Hajar Kagiso Al Thaira Ahjum Mathee chants 'Free Palestine' at O.R. Tambo International Airport, embodying the spirit of resilience and solidarity after enduring harrowing experiences during the Gaza flotilla mission.
Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers
The delegates shared accounts of physical violence and emotional abuse, likening their conditions to a concentration camp and drawing painful parallels to South Africa’s apartheid past.
Former Ambassador Moosa spoke about the brutal system he witnessed. “The system has gone way beyond being an iota of humanity. There is no humanity left,” he stated.
Recounting the moment of interception, he described being shot with a “rubber” bullet, thankfully absorbed by his thick life jacket.
“They come like a pack of wolves, and they are violent to the core,” Moosa said.
Supporters gathered at O.R. Tambo International Airport to welcome home the brave South African delegates, celebrating their return from the Gaza flotilla mission and standing united in the fight for justice and freedom for Palestine.
Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers
He detailed the systemic abuse inside the prison, which he identified as a notorious 400,000-square-metre concentration camp, complete with barbed wire.
“Every five minutes, they would tie your hands behind your back with handcuffs or cable ties, and push your head down to your knees while you're standing up, and they drag you.”
The two days spent on the prison boats and in the camp brought home a chilling reality for Moosa, that “We have experienced what Palestinians go through every single day.”
Moosa was moved to tears when leaving the prison, reflecting on the Palestinian families left behind.
Qutb Hendricks, seated next to Yusuf Rahman, shares his harrowing experience of detention at O.R. Tambo International Airport, recounting the brutal treatment he faced during the Gaza flotilla mission and emphasising the urgent need for global action against oppression.
Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers
Despite the ordeal, his determination is now stronger. “I think we are very determined to continue to fight, because you realise we are not fighting for the freedom of Palestine; we are fighting for our own freedom... We cannot live in a world that I've seen in the last six days. It's not a world for our children.”
He urged the South African government to escalate sanctions, the BDS movement, and the energy embargo, noting the cruel irony that “the very ship that was carrying us as prisoners was fuelled by South African coal”.
Qutb Hendricks described how all preparation dissolved when they were intercepted.
“I can tell you all the training that you may have thought you were prepared for didn't come into play,” he confessed.
The real violence, he said, began when they were processed from the boats.
“When they called my name... As soon as the door closed, they pulled me into another room and the beatings started. It went on for a while,” his voice shook with emotion as he spoke.
He confirmed that all delegates had to discard their phones, leaving them “out of comms” from that point on.
For Mathee, a 22-year-old Masters student, the emotion was immediate and overwhelming. She was in tears upon her arrival, chanting “Free Palestine” with the welcoming party.
Her message was a stark call for action against complicity. “If you are not doing everything that it is in your power to resist occupation... then you are complicit with genocide. It is as simple as that.”
Mathee claimed that even seemingly ordinary consumer decisions influence political outcomes, stating that a failure to boycott globally recognised soft drinks or prominent international fast-food chains linked to Israel means a person is complicit with genocide.
Her final appeal was for all supporters to “make sure that whatever it is that you're doing, you are standing up, and that you are actioning your words”.
Peters dedicated his participation to his family and a lifelong commitment to the Palestinian cause. “I've been trying with all my might to defend the people of Palestine, but this mission, I did for my children, I have three beautiful girls,” he shared.
Speaking on behalf of the welcome party, Sunny Morgan of the Palestinian Solidarity Alliance and Global Sumud South Africa, hailed the delegates as heroes, noting their mission's success lay in exposing Israel's “brutality and impunity.”
“We sail because governments fail,” Morgan declared, highlighting that the abduction was a violation of international law, occurring in international waters.
He echoed the delegates’ demands for stronger government action, specifically demanding that the South African government stop sending coal to Israel and apply international conventions to prevent complicity in genocide.
Morgan also addressed the allegations of sexual violence, stating the “accusation of sexual violence against delegates has been verified by a number of people”.
The return of the six activists marks the end of their capture but, as they all affirmed, the beginning of a renewed and more determined fight for justice in Palestine and for global freedom.