Extreme heat, rain and wind may have battered the tents and soaked the blankets of the Khoisan people camping outside the Union Buildings, but their spirit remained solid as they wait to hear from President Cyril Ramaphosa about their rightful place in South Africa entered its 33rd day yesterday.

Leading them was Chief Khoisan SA, who said Ramaphosa had received the group’s memorandum when he was still deputy president in 2017 when he promised to respond to their issues, but they had not heard from him since.

The chief said the indigenous group of people had braved the intense festive season’s heatwave and survived recent rains, just so they could talk to Ramaphosa face to face.

“We are blessed that our story has reached the hearts of many caring people in South African communities, and many have travelled from their homes to comfort us and give us donations. We believe that we are here for the right cause we will not leave until our demands are heard.

“As of January 1, we proclaimed that we will govern ourselves, but we will still engage with this government on issues that pertain to land and issues pertaining to the country’s wealth - such as mineral resources.