Mzansi Now: South Africa Orders the Expulsion of Israeli Envoy

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On January 30, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) announced its decision to declare Ariel Seidman, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Israeli Embassy, persona non grata — a diplomatic term meaning he is no longer welcome in the country. Seidman was required to leave South Africa within 72 hours of the declaration’s publication. 

Per the African National Congress’s statement, the decision comes after a sequence of “unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practice which pose a direct challenge to South Africa’s sovereignty.” Amongst these listed violations were attacks against President Cyril Ramaphosa on social media and international visits from Israeli officials without having informed South African authorities. 

Israel was quick to respond, issuing their own statement that South Africa’s senior diplomatic representative, Minister Shaun Edward Byneveldt, is also persona non grata and must leave Israel within the same timeframe. Because South Africa has no ambassador to Israel, Byneveldt is the designated South African representative to the State of Palestine, stationed in Ramallah, a city in the occupied West Bank.

The African National Congress (ANC) has long been critical of Israel and has equated the struggle of Palestinians to those of black South Africans under apartheid. The history goes as far back as the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, resulting in the Israeli occupation of the Sinai Peninsula. During this time, the ANC and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) developed close ties in their resistance efforts, against the apartheid regime and Israeli occupation respectively. After the ANC’s leader, Nelson Mandela, was released from prison in 1990, he met with Yasser Arafat, the then-leader of the PLO. The two then formed a diplomatic bond, and once Mandela was elected president, he remained vocally supportive of the Palestinian cause. In 1997, Mandela held an address at the International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian People in Pretoria and said, “We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.” This history of camaraderie between the ANC and the PLO continues today, and is demonstrated in the ANC’s policies against Israel.

Support 

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) welcomed the Seidman’s expulsion in a statement that said the decision vindicates their “long-standing position that apartheid Israel has no place operating a diplomatic mission in South Africa”. 

Following the statement, EFF President Julius Malema spoke at the party’s second plenum of its Third National People’s Assembly on February 4. In his speech, Malema called for the shutdown of the Israeli embassy in South Africa altogether, urging President Cyril Ramaphosa to honor a parliamentary motion from November 2023. This motion had agreed to close the Israeli Embassy in South Africa and suspend all diplomatic relations with Israel until a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip was agreed upon. Though the motion passed, its implementation was under presidential discretion — meaning only President Ramaphosa had the authority to see the motion enforced. Because Ramaphosa never implemented the ruling, the Israeli embassy has remained open and functioning since.

Backlash

Freedom Front Plus (VF+) has expressed discontent with the decision, calling the move a “wilful and provocative” action against the United States. The United States is one of Israel’s strongest allies, and a nation with which South Africa has recently experienced significant tension. VF+ stated that the decision was a unilateral move by the ANC made with no consultation from the other members of the Government of National Unity (GNU), a coalition of parties that cooperates on national and foreign policy decisions. 

The Democratic Alliance (DA) also issued a statement criticizing the decision, citing many of the same reasons as VF+. The DA called the move an impulsive escalation, one that “risks retaliatory measures, strained commercial ties, and reduced investor confidence.” The DA has historically been supportive of a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, distinguishing themselves from the ANC, which maintains support for the Palestinian self-determination.

Chief Rabbi of South Africa, Dr. Warren Goldstein, vehemently condemned the decision as well, arguing that Seidman’s expulsion was not due to misconduct against the South African government, but because Israel had sent personnel to assist residents of the Eastern Cape amidst a severe water shortage. Rabbi Goldstein claimed that “the South African government thought that the optics of Israel helping poor South Africans would significantly damage public support for its hostile foreign policy on Israel.” 

Part of the reason for Seidman’s expulsion was due to a “deliberate failure to inform DIRCO of purported visits by senior Israeli officials”. The visit from Israeli delegates to the Eastern Cape hospitals, mentioned by Goldstein, were conducted without having informed provincial officials. The CEOs of these hospitals are currently under investigation by provincial authorities for breaking protocol. 

The United States also criticized Seidman’s expulsion. On February 3, the U.S. State Department’s Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Piggot posted on X, calling Seidman’s expulsion a poor foreign policy choice and “grievance politics”. South Africa’s embassy in Washington has yet to comment on the matter.

International Tensions Escalate

In the last days of 2023, South Africa’s ANC leadership filed a case with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Israel, accusing the nation of committing a genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The case is still ongoing, and experts do not expect a verdict before the end of 2027, but tensions between South Africa, Israel, and their allies have steadily escalated since — particularly with regard to the United States. 

In November 2025, the United States boycotted the G20 summit in Johannesburg due to President Donald Trump’s claims that South Africa is persecuting the nation’s white Afrikaner minority. The presidency of the G20 changes hands every year, and as of 2026, the United States has occupied the position. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, South Africa’s Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced South Africa’s temporary withdrawal from the G20 amidst the tensions. Godongwana stated that he hopes the nation will be invited to rejoin the group in 2027, when the United Kingdom holds the G20 presidency. 

Criticism of Seidman’s expulsion by VF+ and the DA cited concerns over agitating the United States. The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a piece of legislation that provides trade access between the U.S. and sub-Saharan African countries, was recently renewed by Congress. The extension of the policy only lasts until December of this year, allowing U.S. members of Congress to negotiate terms for another extension. South African parties like VF+ and the DA worry that by entrenching diplomatic tensions with Israel, they will face retaliation when the AGOA is up for renewal again later this year.