Three new murals were unveiled in Salt River during a heritage walk there on Saturday.
About 100 people joined the walk to view the murals, which are the result of a project led by the Salt River Heritage Society.
The society obtained permission from the City to paint the walls. The City’s art and culture branch signed the permits for all three murals.
Freedom Fighters, a mural on the corner of Pope and Kingsley streets is by Salt River artist Natheer Hoosain. It depicts poet and playwright Gladys Thomas, trade unionist Gadija Isaacs, anti-apartheid activist Zuraya Abass and journalist Karima Brown.
Ms Thomas, who died last year at the age of 88, co-authored Cry Rage with poet James Matthews. The anthology of struggle poetry was banned by the apartheid government during the 1970s.
On Saturday, Tauriq Jenkins and Lee Roodt, from the Independent Theatre Movement of South Africa, read her poems from Cry Rage, and Mr Jenkins recited Ms Thomas’s 1971 poem, Fall Tomorrow.
“This poem came out way before Rhodes Must Fall and Fees Must Fall, and it is, in a way, a poem that could relate to the plight that the students face today,” he said.
Gadija Isaacs’s granddaughter, Nadia Agherdine, a member of the heritage society, described how her grandmother, who was born in Kimberley in 1907, worked as nurse for the St John Ambulance in the 1940s. In 1954, she settled in Salt River, where she worked for the Rex Trueform clothing company as a finisher.
Ms Agherdine said her grandmother had made her mark as a shop steward in the garment industry and was on the executive of the Garment Workers Union of the Cape Peninsula. She also served on a bursary fund to support students in Salt River.
“Gadija’s position as the first and only woman of colour on the executive of the Garment Workers Union and her international representation marked her as a pioneer figure in the labour movement and social justice of the country,” she said.
Ms Isaacs died in 1990 at the age of 83.
The Black Christ, another mural by Mr Hoosain, on the corner of Albert and Cecil roads depicts the 1962 work of the same name as well as the artist who painted it.
Reverend Michael Weeder read extracts from Mr Harrison’s book, The Black Christ: A Journey to Freedom, and said: “It is genius how this mural is opposite the St Luke’s Church where his painting of The Black Christ was first exhibited.”
Mr Harrison’s niece, Desiree Phillips, said her uncle had died 12 years ago at the age of 70.
The painting was smuggled out of South Africa during apartheid and hidden in the UK before being returned to the country in 1997, and it is now on display at the South African National Gallery in Gardens.
“I am proud of these acknowledgements, though I am also sad that he is not here to see it,” she said.
The Dome of the Rock on the corner of Tennyson and Addison streets was painted by Nawawie Mathews, of Crawford, and depicts the 7th century Islamic shrine on Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem.
The work sits opposite a mural Mr Matthews painted in Chapel Road depicting the struggle of the Palestinian people.
“Art has the power to create change, and we want to create dialogue and encourage youth to get involved in activism, civic matters, and we want to create awareness on the marginalised,” he said.
The heritage society’s chairman, Lutfi Omar, said they wanted to delve into the community’s inspiring stories.
“People like Gladys Thomas, Gadija Isaacs, Zuraya Abass, Karima Brown and Ronald Harrison fought tirelessly for social justice and solidarity,” he said.
“The event has been a powerful testament to the collective spirit and celebration of the remarkable individuals who have shaped our community’s history.”
