Community activists, migrants, and residents gathered at St George's Cathedral on Africa Day, Monday, May 25, for a commemoration calling for unity, social cohesion, and an end to Afrophobia in South Africa.
The event was hosted by Ubuntu Rural Women and Youth Movement alongside partners including Budget Collective and Kopanang Africa under the theme “United We Stand, Divided We Fall”.
Speakers at the event urged communities to reject xenophobia and work together to address poverty, inequality, and unemployment.
Drawing a diverse crowd, the event featured a panel discussion aimed at defining "the Africa that we want" and addressing the root causes of conflict between communities.
Speaker Danmore Chuma reminded attendees that the history of the continent is one of shared struggle against exploitation and imperialism, stressing that the current economic system - not fellow Africans - is the true enemy.
"We are all under the same yoke," he said.
He highlighted how the country's early mining economy was built on the labour of imported African immigrants and local citizens working side-by-side.
He urged the audience to direct their frustration towards the capitalistic system that perpetuates poverty and scarcity, rather than the victims of that system.
The conversation emphasised that migration is a natural human phenomenon and that African nations provided refuge and support to South Africans during the fight against apartheid.
The collective call from the stage was for immediate action: to educate, to speak up against silence, and to co-create a future of justice and fairness for all Africans.
The event concluded with a picket outside, demanding concrete action from the government and challenging narratives of division.
Co-organiser Vainola Makan, from Ubuntu, stressed that the struggles of marginalised South Africans and migrants were fundamentally interconnected, rooted in shared challenges of poverty, inequality, and exclusion.
She emphasised the importance of fostering social cohesion and centering the voices of those most impacted by structural inequality, including rural women, youth, and migrants.
Co-organiser Wendy Pekeur, also from Ubuntu, read out from the statement: "Our struggles are interconnected, and no effort to build a just and equal society can succeed if it divides communities who are facing the same structural challenges."
The movement directly addressed concerns about escalating hostility towards migrants, calling out political parties who exploit the issue for "narrow interests."
The commemoration was a vibrant call for a collective commitment to ubuntu - "I am because you are" - and a rejection of "imperialist, capitalist and colonial values."
Soraya Salie, from Bonteheuwel Walking Ladies, mentioned the Sunflower Theory, in which the flowers chase the sun, which faced each other, when the sun did not shine.
The idea that "sunflowers draw strength from each other" is the heart of the popular Sunflower Theory.
It is a metaphor stating that, while these flowers chase the sun on bright days, they turn toward each other on cloudy days or at night to share their warmth and light.
"They draw strength and energy from each other, and that is what we must do to bring about change in this world," she said.
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