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South Africa has ordered Israel’s top diplomat in the country to leave within 72 hours after declaring him persona non grata, citing what it described as repeated violations of diplomatic norms.
The decision, announced by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation on Friday, January 30, further deepens already strained relations between Pretoria and Tel Aviv. Tensions escalated sharply in 2023 after South Africa took Israel to the International Court of Justice, arguing that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza — a Palestinian territory it considers illegally occupied — amounted to genocide.
In a statement, the foreign ministry confirmed that Israel had been formally notified that its charge d’affaires, Ariel Seidman, was no longer welcome in the country and was required to depart within three days.
“This decisive action follows a series of unacceptable violations of diplomatic practice that directly challenge South Africa’s sovereignty,” the ministry said.
Among the alleged violations, the government cited the repeated use of official Israeli social media platforms to post remarks it described as insulting toward President Cyril Ramaphosa. Officials pointed specifically to a post shared by the Israeli embassy in November, which referred to a comment by Ramaphosa as a “rare moment of wisdom and diplomatic clarity.”
The post was reacting to media reports quoting the president as saying that “boycott politics doesn’t work,” in reference to then–US President Donald Trump’s decision not to attend the G20 summit in Johannesburg. South African authorities viewed the comment as disrespectful and inappropriate.
The ministry also accused the Israeli embassy of failing to properly notify the government about alleged visits by senior Israeli officials to the country. One incident that reportedly drew particular concern was an unannounced visit earlier this month by an Israeli delegation to the Eastern Cape province, where offers of assistance in areas such as water supply, healthcare and agriculture were made.
According to officials, the visit took the national government by surprise and was hosted by a traditional Xhosa king who had met Israeli President Isaac Herzog during a trip to Israel in December.
In its statement, the foreign ministry said the conduct of Israeli representatives amounted to a serious abuse of diplomatic privilege and violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
“These actions have systematically undermined the trust and protocols required for healthy bilateral relations,” the statement added.
South Africa, which is home to the largest Jewish community in sub-Saharan Africa, has long expressed support for the Palestinian cause and has been openly critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza. Pretoria closed its embassy in Tel Aviv on November 17, 2023, and has not reopened it since.
That same year, South Africa filed its case against Israel at the ICJ, arguing that Israel’s military response to the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack violated the 1948 UN Genocide Convention. Israel has strongly denied the allegation.
Further tensions emerged in November when more than 150 Palestinians arrived in South Africa without Israeli departure stamps on their passports. At the time, Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said the circumstances raised serious concerns.
“We are suspicious as a South African government about the circumstances surrounding the arrival of the plane,” Lamola said, adding that there appeared to be “a clear agenda to cleanse Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank.”
South Africa has since witnessed repeated protests against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, including renewed calls for the closure of Israel’s embassy in Pretoria.
In a November opinion piece, Seidman criticised South Africa for maintaining diplomatic ties with Iran while portraying engagement with Israel as illegitimate.
Relations between South Africa and the Trump administration — a close ally of Israel — have also deteriorated over the past year, with Pretoria’s case at the ICJ remaining a major point of contention.
