Nelson Mandela Bridge demonstration closes hostage chapter

As the early morning traffic crossed the Nelson Mandela Bridge in Braamfontein on 29 January, commuters saw hundreds of blue balloons and posters of former Israeli hostages in Gaza with stickers with the word “home” stuck on them. 

It was the South African Jewish community and its friends way of commemorating the fact that for the first time since 2014, there are no more hostages left in Gaza. 

The demonstration was the second to be held on the bridge over the past three years. The first was held in November 2023, only a month after the devastating events of 7 October 2023, when more than 1 200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. 

Now that the last hostage, Ran Gvili, has been returned to Israel for burial after 843 days, the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD), other Jewish organisations, and members of the Impact for Christ Ministries Church, went back to the bridge to put up hostage posters with blue balloons. This time, every poster had a yellow sticker saying that they had come home. 

“We felt that with the release of the last hostage this week, we needed to go back to Nelson Mandela Bridge. And this time, we needed to express our gratitude for the return of these hostages and share that message,” said Wendy Kahn, the national director of the SAJBD, “Every single poster had ‘at home’; ‘home for burial’; or ‘came home alive’. We shared those stories with people. And we expressed that, although we are celebrating in some way, it’s still hard in others.” 

Although there is joy that there are no hostages left in Gaza, she said there is still a deep wound for families who had to bury their loved ones after such a long time; for hostages who returned and are battling demons; and for the ones who came home to discover that their loved ones were killed on 7 October. “Many of us felt emotional commemorating the end of this hostage nightmare. With the happiness and relief that it is over, the faces in the posters reminded us of the loss and the cruelty.” 

In November 2023, the SAJBD set out to create awareness of the hostages and placed hundreds of red balloons accompanying hostage posters lining the bridge. 

SAJBD leaders chose Nelson Mandela Bridge because they wanted the demonstration to be held somewhere where ordinary South Africans could see it and interact with the stories of the people who were so cruelly taken. 

“We went there to share the horrific stories of the hostages Hamas kidnapped,” said Kahn, “At the time, there were 242 hostages. One of them was my close friend, Vivian Silver, who, sadly, we learned later, wasn’t taken hostage but burned alive in her home.” 

Nelson Mandela Bridge was chosen for its iconic status, carrying the legacy of Mandela. “We wanted to be right in the centre of Joburg life, where we could have those hard conversations. Unfortunately, the legacy of Nelson Mandela has been captured and manipulated, and it’s really heartbreaking. We wanted to be in a place with his name because it embraces the values of connection and social cohesion.” 

Though commuters were rushing to work or school, members of the Johannesburg Jewish community and Impact for Christ Ministries Church took a moment on the bridge to reflect, commemorate, pray, and tell the stories to the many who wanted to engage. 

“People wanted to connect with us, and they wanted to understand, and they wanted to talk,” said Kahn, “and that’s really the spirit of Mandela. You don’t always agree with people, but you listen and engage.” 

Kahn said the bridge was also symbolic. “A bridge is about connections; it is about people coming together; it is about sharing what’s important to you; and it is listening, and that’s exactly what happened,” she said. 

The organisers wanted “Joburgers walking to work, university, or school, to be able to stop, read the stories, ask questions, cry with us, embrace us, and pray together. It showed us the incredible compassion that South Africans have,” she said. 

The warmth they got from commuters demonstrated, she said, that, as much as there is hostility, South Africans really want to offer support. Many people walking and driving past stopped to ask questions and engage. 

“What continues to bring me comfort is the compassion and love shown by those who came past to engage with us. Where else in the world would we feel safe and welcome to have an activation like this?” she asked.