South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola (left) and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (center) during a meeting of G20 foreign ministers in Johannesburg, South Africa, February 20, 2025. EMMANUEL CROSET/AFP
Relations between Israel and South Africa, already strained, have now deteriorated even further. The highest-ranking Israeli official in South Africa, chargé d’affaires Ariel Seidman, was ordered to leave the country by Monday, February 2, less than six months after taking up his post. On Friday, he was declared persona non grata in his host country – an unprecedented decision, given that Israel has not had an ambassador in the country for over two years.
The South African foreign ministry explained that this “follows a series of unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practice which pose a direct challenge to South Africa’s sovereignty.” Pretoria was particularly angered by a message posted on X by the Israeli embassy in November that described comments by Cyril Ramaphosa – who said that “in [his] experience,” boycott policies do not work – as “a rare moment of wisdom and diplomatic clarity from President Ramaphosa.” Pretoria also accused the Israeli embassy of failing to notify authorities of certain official visits, as is customary.
Israel responded almost immediately. Even though South Africa has not had an accredited ambassador in Tel Aviv since 2018, Shaun Edward Byneveldt, the head of the South African mission to the State of Palestine who is based in Ramallah in the West Bank, was given the same 72-hour ultimatum to leave areas under Israeli control. According to the African National Congress (ANC), the ruling party in South Africa, this “further underscores Israel’s persistent refusal to honor international law, United Nations resolutions and the broad international consensus recognizing Palestinian statehood and the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.”
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