South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC) has condemned a recent visit to Israel by members of parliament from the country’s Government of National Unity (GNU).
Last week, a delegation of 15 South African parliamentarians traveled to Israel, expressing faith-based solidarity with the Jewish state and offering a pointed critique of the ANC’s Middle East policies.
The visit follows the formation of South Africa’s national unity government in June, after the ANC lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since the end of apartheid 30 years ago.
The delegation included representatives from the Democratic Alliance (DA), Patriotic Alliance (PA), and African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), along with Christian and Jewish faith leaders. During the visit, they met with Israeli lawmakers and toured southern Israeli communities attacked during the Hamas-led massacre 18 months ago, which sparked the ongoing conflict.
In a statement released last Friday, the ANC said: “The African National Congress (ANC) unequivocally condemns the recent visit to Israel by members of the Democratic Alliance (DA), the Patriotic Alliance (PA), and the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), who have self-identified as the ‘South African Friends of Israel.'”
It added, “This visit, presented as a ‘fact-finding mission,’ constitutes a clear endorsement of Israel’s policies of racial segregation and oppression, while attempting to downplay the lived reality of apartheid-like conditions faced by Palestinians.”
Rowan Polovin, national chairman of the South African Zionist Federation, described the ANC’s response as “shameful,” accusing the party of resorting to “petty procedural tantrums and smear campaigns” aimed at silencing parliamentarians and their parties.
“What the ANC truly fears is that exposure to the truth will shatter the lazy, dogmatic narrative they’ve clung to for years,” Polovin said.
Marie Sukers, former ACDP Member of Parliament and founder of Voices to Parliament (VTP), who helped facilitate the delegation, emphasized that the ongoing conflict’s impact on South African constituents could not be ignored.
“South Africa is a constitutional democracy where individual rights and freedoms are celebrated and protected under our Constitution,” Sukers said. “The ANC’s rhetoric contributes to the growing intolerance that Christians and Jews have faced since Oct. 7. A Christian prayer march for Israel had to be canceled in November 2023, and a long-standing tradition of praying for Israel outside Parliament on Fridays has been met with hostility and threats. The ANC’s recent statement regarding this trip highlights their one-sided approach, which disregards our Christian Democratic heritage.”
Daniel Jackobi, director of the South African Friends of Israel (SAFI), organized the visit and urged the ANC to value diverse perspectives and engage with factual information. He called on the ANC to participate in open, informed dialogue to foster a more nuanced understanding of the region.
“I invite ANC leaders and their colleagues to visit both Israel and Palestine—to see the complexities firsthand, engage with individuals from all sides, listen to their stories, and witness the human impact of the conflict,” Jackobi said.
The ANC continues to advocate a full ban on travel to Israel. Relations between the two countries have sharply deteriorated following South Africa’s case against Israel filed at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, accusing Israel of genocide.