Thaer al Tarifi, Khalid Al Bitaar, Sa’adideen Al Tarifi and young family members
Azhar Vadi | October 2013
Thaer al Tarifi is a Palestinian living in Benoni. He attended the Walk for Freedom organised by the Benoni Spurs Football Club on the 29 September 2013 at the Willowmoore Park Stadium.
Tarifi participated in the day’s events as it was a simple way for him to once again reconnect with his homeland. Born to refugee parents who were forced to flee to neighbouring Jordan, he has never been able to visit his pace of origin. Participating in the Benoni fun walk made feel as if he had once again regained his identity.
“We, Palestinians, have been forced to lose our identity and our motherland. It is the most valuable thing. This makes all Palestinians depressed. We have lost the right to live where our father and grandfathers once lived. I’m a citizen of Jordan and a citizen of South Africa but I will always feel incomplete,” Tarifi told The Review.
Over 2500 people attended this year’s Walk for Freedom with participants draped in the colours of the Palestinian flag and other wearing t-shirts calling for peace and justice. The flea market and cultural activities on the day were also well attended.
Benoni Spurs chairperson, Moosa Kayat said, “This has been a successful day for us. We have managed to raise a significant amount of funds and this will be handed over to the Gift of the Givers for their relief work in Palestine.”
The first person to cross the finish line was Actonville’s Saleem Paruk. He said “What’s happening in Palestine is cruel. Its apartheid times twenty. I have lots of friends their and chat via email. They are going througha hard time but they have more courage than us.”
The real impact of the day was made on the lives of those who attended and none more so than on the Tarifi family.“I will teach my children the right of return to our homeland,” said Mr Tarifi. “It is sacred and holy. One day if it’s not me or my son, it will be my grandson that will return. We will never negotiate our land. From the River Jordan to the Mediterranean it is all Palestine. And this is where we belong.”
He added that he is humbly touched that South Africans in Benoni are so involved in the Palestinians struggle. “I can see it in the eyes of our fellow South Africans. I am grateful. Palestine is a world heritage and all honest people will fight for it.”