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South Africa\u2019s decision on Friday to declare Israeli diplomat Ariel Seidman persona non grata has significantly escalated the already fragile relations between Pretoria and Tel Aviv, said experts who warned that this might lead to a complete diplomatic breakdown. <\/span><\/p>\n The declaration was followed swiftly by retaliatory action from Israel to expel South African diplomat Shaun Edward Byneveldt from the country.<\/span><\/p>\n Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) spokesperson Chrispin Phiri on Saturday said the declaration was not abrupt but rather \u201ca culmination of activities\u201d and followed formal engagements with the Israeli government that failed to address South Africa\u2019s concerns. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat we have seen over a series of months was the Israeli Embassy in South Africa using the X platform to undermine the South African government and show how disrespectful the conduct of the Israeli government has been,\u201d Phiri said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe feel that our sovereignty has been undermined, which is why these measures had to be taken. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe hope the Israeli government will recalibrate its actions and respectfully engage us,\u201d said Phiri.<\/span><\/p>\n The relationship between the two countries deteriorated further after Seidman took his country\u2019s <\/span>Foreign Affairs Ministry senior official, David Saranga, <\/span>on a visit to AbaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo in the Eastern Cape last year without informing DIRCO. <\/span><\/p>\n In a statement released on Friday, DIRCO accused Israel of <\/span>insulting President Cyril Ramaphosa on social media and of being in the country without informing DIRCO.<\/span><\/p>\n During the visit to the king, Saranga donated food parcels to residents whose homes had been destroyed by floods in May. <\/span><\/p>\n Dalindyebo\u2019s daughter, <\/span>Ntando Dalindyebo, who is the royal family\u2019s spokesperson, described Seidman\u2019s expulsion as a personal attack on the king. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOur relationship with the Israeli Embassy is <\/span>the one that we hold very close to our hearts<\/span>, as they have managed to help our people in a way that the South African government has not been able to do.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhen they dismiss the ambassador, it becomes difficult for us not to see this as a personal attack on the kingdom,\u201d said Ntando.<\/span><\/p>\n She confirmed that the king did not inform government authorities about the visit. <\/span><\/p>\n She said Saranga promised that the Israeli government would assist the community of Mthatha and other areas in the Eastern Cape to develop water infrastructure, assisting needy children with fees for tertiary education and also refurbish health facilities. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy father (the king) told him (Saranga) that we don\u2019t have water in the Eastern Cape and our hospitals are in horrible conditions, as they were last renovated 50 years ago.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n She said some government officials and traditional leaders warned the king against accepting donations from Israel, which had been found guilty of genocide against the people of Palestine.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBut my father saw it as unfair to say no to a donation that could help people in their time of need. Then we welcomed the ambassador,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n The Israeli officials’ visit to the king angered Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane, who said the king took them to public institutions in the province, including healthcare facilities and Walter Sisulu University, without the consent of the provincial government.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPremier Mabuyane rejects the sinister deal between the king and Israel, and views these actions as an attempt by the Israeli government to undermine the sovereign right of the Republic of South Africa to manage its international affairs,\u201d read a statement released recently.<\/span><\/p>\n The provincial government had promised to engage the national government \u201cto ensure that appropriate measures are taken to safeguard the integrity of government processes, protect public institutions, and prevent any recurrence of such incidents\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n However, Mabuyane\u2019s spokesperson, Sonwabo Mbananga, said the provincial government has not pursued any action against the king<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n Phiri did not respond when asked what actions would be taken against the king. <\/span><\/p>\n In a statement released Friday, the South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) said Seidman was being punished for <\/span>helping South Africans get clean water.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>In a country where taps run dry, where children walk kilometres with buckets, where elderly women queue for hours at communal pumps, and where the state has normalised collapse, neglect, and decay, <\/span>the ANC chose to penalise the one party that is genuinely providing solutions<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe Israeli Embassy partnered openly and transparently with recognised traditional leadership in the Eastern Cape \u2013 a region long abandoned by the state, stripped of dignity by years of corruption, incompetence, and indifference. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey worked with communities and civil society to do what the government has spectacularly failed to do: provide basic human necessities,\u201d read the statement.<\/span><\/p>\n International relations expert Dr Ayabulela Dlakavu said Seidman\u2019s expulsion was warranted.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cRelations between South Africa and any other sovereign nation should be handled by DIRCO, because that is the department charged with managing relations with other countries. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cUndermining this by the Israeli government would result in any self-respecting nation being well within its rights to declare an ambassador undesirable,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n Siseko Maposa, director of Surgetower Associates Management Consultancy, said that while the current tit-for-tat between the two state were serious, it did not yet amount to a complete severance of diplomatic relations.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt is crucial to note that both nations had already functionally downgraded relations by recalling their ambassadors in preceding years,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n The EFF, the South African Communist Party (SACP), and the ANC have welcomed Seidman\u2019s expulsion. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe undiplomatic conduct of Mr Ariel Seidman shows disregard not only for our government and authorities but for the South African people as a whole,\u201d said the EFF in a statement.<\/span><\/p>\n The SACP said Israel\u2019s retaliation was a call for South Africa to completely cut diplomatic ties with Israel.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe reiterate our rejection of the colonial rule of Zionist Israel\u2019s occupation over Palestine, as well as the apartheid regime\u2019s destabilisation of the Middle East region,\u201d the statement said.<\/span><\/p>\n The ANC expressed support for the action against Israel. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSouth Africa is a constitutional democracy born out of resistance to oppression and external domination. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe, therefore, reject, without hesitation, any conduct by foreign representatives that undermines our sovereignty, disrespects our Head of State, or abuses diplomatic privilege under the guise of engagement,\u201d said Whip of the ANC Study Group on International Relations and Cooperation, Andisiwe Kumbaca.<\/span><\/p>\n bongani.hans@inl.co.za and lilita.gcwabe@inl.co.za<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" South Africa\u2019s decision on Friday to declare Israeli diplomat Ariel Seidman persona non grata has significantly escalated the already fragile relations between Pretoria and Tel Aviv, said experts who warned that this might lead to a complete diplomatic breakdown. The declaration was followed swiftly by retaliatory action from Israel to expel South African diplomat Shaun […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":271528,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-271527","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news"},"yoast_head":"\n