A delegation of 10 top South African academics from leading universities has returned home after a week-long tour of Israel at the end of November aimed at rebuilding scholarly ties amid growing tensions on South African campuses.
The delegation, whose trip was organized by the Israeli Embassy in Pretoria and the South African Friends of Israel (SAFI), included professors, researchers and department heads from the University of Cape Town, University of Johannesburg, University of Pretoria, Stellenbosch University, University of the Free State and UNISA, the largest open distance learning institution in Africa.
SAFI spokesperson Bafana Modise said in a press release on Monday that the visit came at a “pivotal moment in geopolitics.”
“The ceasefire in the Israel–Hamas war has opened a window to rebuild academic bridges and renew channels of cooperation between South Africa and Israel,” he said. “South Africa’s own academic environment has become consumed by deeply polarizing and politically divisive elements, with this trip offering an important reminder of how universities can be the vehicles for dialogue, knowledge exchange and constructive engagement.”
The academics toured research centers and innovation hubs across the country, including Reichman University, the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the Asper-HUJI Innovation Center, the Tech7 & Gav-Yam Negev Advanced Tech Park and the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation.
At the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, the delegation was “exposed to cutting-edge technologies developed by Israeli academic researchers, who play a key factor in Israel’s status as a startup nation,” Modise said, adding that several of the innovations could hold practical applications for South Africa’s economic and social challenges.
The visit came almost 18 months after a controversial decision by the University of Cape Town (UCT) to adopt two resolutions relating to Gaza and Israel that rejected the internationally recognized IHRA definition of antisemitism and barred collaboration with scholars linked to the Israeli military establishment.
The resolutions are the subject of an ongoing South African High Court case brought by Prof. Adam Mendelsohn, a respected Jewish South African historian who serves as chair of Jewish History at UCT. According to Modise, court proceedings revealed that UCT failed to disclose that the resolutions conflicted with donor agreements, resulting in the withdrawal of between 250 and 300 million rand in funding, as well as the loss of a potential 500 million rand (about $30 million) earmarked for a private academic hospital.
“In contrast, the delegation to Israel demonstrated what constructive academic engagement looks like,” Modise said. “They explored opportunities for joint research, student exchanges and long-term institutional partnerships in fields ranging from health sciences and engineering to technology and social development.
Several department heads confirmed interest in pursuing formal cooperation agreements with Israeli institutions.
“The academic sector should prioritize integrity, knowledge exchange and academic freedom above political posturing,” Modise concluded. “This delegation is an important step toward restoring those principles.”
