South Africa's bold move against Israel: A diplomatic showdown

South Africa's decision to declare Israel's chargé d'affaires Ariel Seidman persona non grata has raised concerns that the country may face additional tariffs from the United States of America, Israel's ally.

This is according to Lesego Masisi, co-founder of Anti-Apartheid Movement for Palestine (SA chapter) led by Reverend Frank Chikane, who warned that Washington may resort to economic pressure on South Africa .

“They may also try to put pressure by applying coercive tactics to (President) Cyril Ramaphosa and the SA Government with the key strategic objective being the ‘voluntary’ withdrawal of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) case against Israel,” he said.

South Africa took Israel to the ICJ in December 2023, accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

Masisi said Pretoria's decision to expel Seidman was a necessary step to uphold international law after Seidman took David Saranga, a senior Israeli official, to visit AbaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo in the Eastern Cape without informing the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco).

Saranga donated food parcels to flood-affected residents during the visit, which was seen as a breach of diplomatic protocol.

"A reasonable top representative of a country should definitely know when they really have to consult with the host government before bringing in a senior delegation to visit a traditional leader," he said.

Israel retaliated by also declaring South Africa's senior diplomatic representative, Shaun Edward Byneveldt, persona non grata, giving him 72 hours to leave the country. 

The country further accused South Africa of making "false attacks against Israel in the international arena” and taking “the unilateral, baseless step" against Seidman

Byneveldt, who is based in Ramallah, was accredited through Israel due to the country's occupation of the West Bank.

Masisi said: "Israel has attempted to reciprocate by creating the false impression that they are acting within their jurisdiction to expel the South African Ambassador to Palestine, Shaun Byneveldt, which is in fact acting ultra vires in terms of the basic rules of international law."

He said Israel’s perspectives have indefensibly demonstrated racial supremacy and blatant discrimination against the Palestinians.

"South Africans, through protracted mass mobilisation and human rights education, aim to raise a deep awareness of the gross human rights violations that continue to take place in Palestine," he said.

He explained that Israel's trade with South Africa is a significant aspect of its international relations, with South Africa being one of its largest trading partners in Africa. 

Masisi also cautioned that US President Donald Trump's administration may expedite the process of removing South Africa from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and increase trade tariffs.

“This will affect American businesses operating in South Africa, which depend more on South Africa. This may create a trade and investment vacuum that will be quickly filled by other serious players in the international game, as the risk level of South Africa’s investment and trade climate is not internal, but intrinsically external,” he said.

Dirco spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said: “Mr Shaun Byneveldt is the ambassador to the State of Palestine, not Israel. Israel’s obstructionism forces a farcical arrangement where he is accredited through the very state that occupies his host country. This underscores Israel’s refusal to honour international consensus on Palestinian statehood.”

On Sunday, Phiri indicated that Pretoria’s current position on this matter remains as stated previously when asked to comment on Israel's decision to declare Byneveldt persona non grata. 

He did not comment on whether Pretoria has any plans for further action or escalation, or whether the government is waiting for Israel to make the next move.

On Friday, Phiri said South Africa's "decisive measure follows a series of unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practice which pose a direct challenge to South Africa’s sovereignty".

He said the violations include the repeated use of official Israeli social media platforms to launch insulting attacks against Ramaphosa, and a deliberate failure to inform Dirco of purported visits by senior Israeli officials.

Meanwhile, the DA  has criticised the South African government's decision to expel Israel's chargé d'affaires, with party spokesperson on International Relations and Cooperation, Ryan Smith, MP, saying diplomacy should be used to manage disputes without public escalation.

“Declaring a foreign diplomat persona non grata is among the most serious tools in a state’s diplomatic repertoire. It is typically reserved for espionage, security threats, or grave breaches of international law – not political disagreements conducted in the public sphere. When used impulsively, it signals instability rather than strength,” Smith said.

He slammed Dirco for failing to follow standard diplomatic protocol in its dispute with Israel, noting that the department did not issue a démarche to the Israeli embassy, a formal step to raise concerns and demand corrective action, before declaring Israel's chargé d'affaires persona non grata.

He stated that the current decision to engage in public diplomatic escalation, particularly in an already polarised international environment, risks retaliatory measures, strained commercial ties, and reduced investor confidence.

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