Cape Town – The South African government has denied any ties to the Palestinian militant group Hamas and claims no recent contact with its leaders regarding relations with Israel.
This follows a series of parliamentary inquiries from the Democratic Alliance (DA) after the October 7 attacks, resulting in the death of over 1 000 Israelis. These attacks prompted the Israeli military to initiate continuous retaliatory raids on Gaza in an effort to eliminate its fighters., EWN reported.
Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, clarified that neither she nor President Cyril Ramaphosa has had any form of contact with a Hamas leader in recent years.
Israel has accused South Africa of supporting Hamas since the country declared a genocide dispute against Israel in the International Court of Justice in December.
According to IOL, Pandor said: “The President did not meet with or had a telephone discussion with Mr Ismail Haniyeh and/or any other members of the Harakat al- Muqawama al-Islamiya (Hamas) in 2022, 2023 and during the period January 1, 2024 up to the latest specified date.
“Regarding contact with any member of Cabinet, it should be recalled that Dirco (Department of International Relations and Cooperation) issued a media statement on October 17, 2023, confirming that the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr GNM Pandor, received a request to call the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh to discuss getting humanitarian aid to Palestine.
“During the call, and in line with the government’s position, Minister Pandor reiterated South Africa’s solidarity and support for the people of Palestine and expressed sadness and regret for the loss of innocent lives of both Palestinians and Israelis. The statement further indicated that Pandor and the Hamas leader discussed how to get the provisional supply of necessary humanitarian aid to Gaza and other parts of the Palestinian territories.”
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
