#GLOBALCLIMATESTRIKECT 20 SEPTEMBER 2019</a>

22 November 2023

The third major climate protest of 2019 in Cape Town took place on Friday 20 September 2019. The protest was once again organised by the African Climate Alliance with support from our growing list of partners.

On the day

2500+ people, predominantly youth, marched from Hanover Street to Parliament for a picket. At Parliament a stage and sound-truck was set up and a number of speeches and performances were delivered by youth and some prominent figures, including:

Mayoral Committee Member for Energy and Climate Change, Councillor Phindile Maxiti who spoke on behalf of the City of Cape Town
Mixed Mense from legendary house of hip hop, Heal the Hood project
His Grace, the Most Reverend Dr Thabo Makgoba, Archbishop of Cape Town

African Climate Alliance Youth representatives Ayakha Melithafa, Kimber Jacobs and Ruby Sampson read out the Memorandum of Demands to the President which were accepted by Charles Ford, Director of Policing and Communication in the Presidency and Goosain Isaacs the Climate Change Director of the Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning.

Full stage line up here.

As a team ACAY (ACA youth) and ACAS (ACA adult supporters) are proud of the way in which the movement is building. The third major strike of 2019 was a great success overall and a pinnacle moment in the fight for climate justice locally and internationally. We are particularly proud that ACA finally seems to be making headway in its key aim of making climate action relevant to all communities in Cape Town as the crowd was the most diverse yet. In this spirit, we believe that Fridays should not be chosen as strike days in future even if it aligns with a global strike as our Muslim comrades cannot join on a Friday due to mosque.