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Deputy Minister in the South African Presidency, Cde. Buti Manamela, will be walking for Palestinian children at the upcoming 702 Walk the Talk taking place in Johannesburg on Sunday 24 July.

Manamela will form part of a team led by the human rights and Palestine solidarity organization BDS South Africa. The BDS SA team will be raising awareness at the over 50 000-person Walk the Talk about the plight of Palestinian children living under Israeli Apartheid.

Deputy Minister Manamela and the BDS South Africa Palestine team will be participating in the 5km walk starting at 11am. There will be a short message delivered by the Deputy Minister at 11am shortly before the walk starts to celebrate the resilience of Palestinian children who live under harsh Israeli conditions.

Another high profile personality that will be part of the BDS SA team is celebrated plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Dr Ridwaan Mia. Mia performed the first cloned skin grafting procedure in Africa on the three-year-old Isabella “Pippie” Kruger, who captured the hearts and minds of the South African public. He subsequently received the Order of the Boabab in Silver, one of South Africa's most coveted awards.

In particular, BDS South Africa’s participation in this year’s 702 Walk the Talk is dedicated to "Ahmed Dawabshe & All Palestinian Children”. Exactly a year ago, in July 2015, Ahmed Dawabshe (now 5 years old) lost his mother, father and baby brother (Ali Dawabshe, 18 months) when a group of Israeli settlers fire-bombed his family home in the Palestinian village of Duma. Dawabshe sustained 80% burn injuries due to the Israeli settler attack.

The attack on the Dawabshe family was not an exception, but is the Israeli norm as it forms part of other ongoing Israeli crimes against Palestinian children which include: Israeli killing of 14 Palestinian children in October 2015; Israeli settler lynching and burning of Palestinian teenager Abu Kheider in July 2014; Israeli military killing of over 550 Palestinian children in Gaza in August 2015; Israeli army killing of more than 30 Palestinian children in 2012; Israeli killing of 300 Palestinian children during Israel's "Operation Cast Lead” in 2009. A long-standing pattern exists of Israeli abuse and killing of Palestinian children.

Earlier this year Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a publication on Israel's detainment of Palestinian children. HRW Country Director said at the time of the release of the publication that: "Palestinian children are treated in ways that would terrify and traumatise an adult".

Issued by BDS South Africa