Johannesburg - The Israeli government’s decision to deny Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande and three departmental officials visas to travel to Palestine has reignited calls for the boycott of Israel.
On Monday, the SACP led a coalition of anti-Israel organisations in issuing an ultimatum to the South African government to impose a travel ban on Israel and expel its ambassador within 10 days.
In addition, they demanded that Pretoria impose a business, academic and cultural ban on Israel.
“We consider Israel’s decision to deny Nzimande and the three officials entry into Palestine an affront to not only the minister and his department, but also as a diplomatic insult to the South African government and its people,” said Solly Mapaila, the SACP’s second deputy general secretary, at a media briefing in Joburg.
It drew together organisations such as the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel in South Africa, the Palestine Solidarity Alliance, the National Coalition for Palestine, the Palestine Solidarity Alliance Youth League, the Young Communist League and the South African Students Congress, among others.
The anti-Israel sentiments appeared to have receded in recent weeks, but the campaign appeared to gain impetus on Monday following Israel’s decision last week to refuse Nzimande a visa.
The higher education minister was due to visit Palestine last Saturday for a meeting with his counterpart, Khawla Shaksheer.
The two ministers were meant to discuss the implementation of a research collaboration between the University of Johannesburg and institutions in Palestine.
The collaboration is part of agreements reached between the two countries during Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s state visit to South Africa in November last year.
Israel denied Nzimande the visa and branded him “an enemy of Israel” for spearheading the campaign to boycott the Middle Eastern state.
On Friday, an unrepentant Nzimande reiterated his calls for a boycott of Israel.
Simultaneously, the South African government entered the fray, with the Department of International Relations saying it viewed the decision as an attack on the South African government.
“We want to be given the reasons why they would refuse a sitting cabinet minister entry into their country,” said departmental spokesman Clayson Monyela, adding that the decision was “certainly a matter we will not leave lying down”.
On Friday, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman accused Nzimande and Pretoria of being hypocritical in the Palestine-Israel issue.
He said South Africa was fast gaining global notoriety as a violent country in the wake of the xenophobic violence and the massacre of mineworkers in Marikana in 2012.
“We all remember the mass killings carried out by the South African police at the platinum mine three years ago…” Lieberman said, describing the SACP’s backing for “the Palestinians” as a case of like attracts like”.
Other South Africans denied visas in the past include Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and educationist Salim Vally.
The Star