Safa Cape Town has galvanized its efforts to help bring an end to the ongoing war between Israel and Palestine with a campaign called ‘Hope, Peace and Solidarity.’
The biggest sports organisation in the Mother City attempts to use the beautiful game of football to help contribute to meaningful change with the hope of a swift resolution for the ongoing killings in Gaza on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Gaza is bordered by Egypt on the southwest and Israel.
Joint efforts from Safa CT’s president Bennett Bailey, along with the SSS Football Academy under the leadership of Boebie Cassiem, is leading the way in taking up arms with a “voorsmakie” (foretaste) with a mini-launch at the Athlone Stadium on Wednesday (10 February) whereby a detailed presentation will be made.
There is also a “Football for Humanity Festival” planned for 11 February which could feature a SA Legends XI versus a national team from Palestine also scheduled for the Athlone Stadium after the City of Cape Town has denied permission to use the Cape Town Stadium.
Bailey said during a Zoom meeting on Monday morning that South Africa has always aided and supported the Palestinian cause and that nothing has changed to date.
The Cape soccer boss emphasized that no matter how dire and bleak life might be currently for the people of Palestine, South Africa is a living example of how a sport such as football brought hope and positive change for millions of South Africans.
“Our campaign is all about hope, peace and solidarity.” Bailey told journalists. “We want to use football as the medium to bring hope for our people that something positive can happen and that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
“And the second theme we put is peace. South Africa has been very consistent throughout our history and we always opt for peace. If there is war we opt for peace. When there was war in Ireland we opted for peace and we promoted peace in Ireland.
“When there was war in SA we opted for peace in the country and that is why the second theme is peace. We want peace in the Middle East so that our brothers and sisters in Palestine can find hope. SA is not an island on its own but part of the rest of the world.
“When there are injustices and like the rest of the world has been standing in solidarity with SA, we are standing in solidarity with our people of Palestine. And therefore, our theme is hope, peace and solidarity and our whole campaign will be shaped around this,” he stated.
According to Bailey this initiative is fully endorsed by the region as well as the custodians of football in the country in Safa National along with SSS Academy being the main link that is facilitating the process.
“Safa National has asked us to run with this because they might not have all the expertise to run it and it is in Cape Town in any case,” Bailey further explains. “The protocol is that we become the host association, so they have given these rights over to us and we must run it.
“We’ve had various briefings with the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC), PCS with the various structures who work within the space of solidarity with Palestine and we will continue doing that,” Bailey concluded.
Meanwhile, the Head of Operations of the initiative Noore Nacerodien highlighted that this initiative is a continuation of their relationship and partnership with Palestine.
“Remember in 2019 we had a (youth) team in Younis Khan from Palestine here that came to participate in the Bayhill Cup,” said Nacerodien. “Then in 2022 we took a young under-16 team to Palestine. This is just the relationship we have with our brothers and sisters,” Nacerodien concluded.
