Azra Hoosen | ah@radioislam.co.za
19 June 2025 | 13:30 CAT
2 min read

The South Africa Palestine Movement and partners have issued a compelling open letter to store owners in the province, urging them to remove products linked to Israel from their shelves. The campaign is a call for peaceful economic resistance and solidarity with the Palestinian people.

In an interview with Radio Islam, Saydoonisa Sayed, a dedicated activist, representative of the KZN Palestine Solidarity Forum (KZN PSF) and who leads the South Africa Palestine Movement (SAPM), emphasised that what we are seeing is a genocide unfolding in front of us. “We decided to act by calling for the removal of products supporting apartheid Israel from South African stores,” she said.

Over the past month, the group has been hosting weekly pickets outside stores in Durban’s Overport area, where community members gather with placards and loudhailers every Friday. “The stores we are targeting are in areas with a majority-Muslim shopper base, and they continue to stock brands like Coca-Cola, Clover, ZZ2, and Nestle despite available alternatives,” she said.

Sayed highlighted that Clover is majority-owned by an Israeli company, and Coca-Cola Israel operates in the occupied territories. “These brands support the war machine that is responsible for the killing of innocent Palestinians, especially in Gaza,” she added.

Sayed strongly rejects the idea that such boycotts are merely symbolic. “It definitely has an effect. If you look at our own history, our democracy came about because other countries supported South Africa’s boycott.”

Beyond just goods, the campaign also targets the stores that stock them. “We want people to boycott both, and we aren’t doing this alone. More than 20 organisations across the country are also taking similar action,” she said.

Addressing the topic of activist fatigue, she said: “We hear this from those who may have done one march or one picket. But every Friday, no matter the weather, we are there. It’s not just that. We also host events like film screenings and discussions to keep the conversation going.”

Sayed asked the public to consider the fatigue and trauma the people of Palestine are going through. “If you’re making a big noise about fatigue but can’t give an hour a week to support a cause like this, then you’re part of the problem,” she said.

Her message to the community is both spiritual and deeply personal: “As a Muslim, I believe we are called by the Holy Quran to stand for what is right. Where is war good? Where is genocide good? If we, as South Africans who suffered apartheid, stay silent, then there is something wrong. The boycott is our tool, and it must be used,” Sayed said.

LISTEN to the full interview with Ml Sulaimaan Ravat and Saydoonisa Sayed, KZN PSF organiser, here.