If you can vote in Ramallah and not Tel Aviv, is the ruling ANC manipulating who of its nationals abroad can vote?
By Kenneth Moeng Mokgatlhe
It is so disappointing to me that I won’t be able to execute my national duty to vote for my desired government on 29 May. For the first time since I was eligible to vote in the 2009 general elections, the ANC government will make it impossible for South African citizens in Israel to cast their vote to bring about much-needed change in government. I was told a week ago by Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) officials that I should go to other missions outside Israel to vote, such as Ramallah, Aman or Cairo. Really? That is effectively telling me:
“You can’t vote!”
The illogical decision to shut down South Africa’s embassy in Tel Aviv is starting to impact negatively on South African citizens studying or working in or touring Israel. I could not reach out to anyone at the IEC when the online registration was giving me problems. Although I am pleased that I finally did manage to register to vote, it worries me that without an embassy, South Africans in Israel might be prevented from taking part in the upcoming elections.
The IEC and the SA government are duty-bound to ensure that all South African citizens in the diaspora can participate in the upcoming extraordinary elections, which will mark the 30th anniversary of the first historic and inclusive elections in 1994 when a charismatic statesman, Nelson Mandela, led the ANC to its outright victory. I am writing this column from Israel where I’ll be based even during these important elections where I want to help escort the ANC out of our Union Building. Just as people lined up in the long queues to vote for the ANC in 1994, while in Israel I want to do the opposite by adding my name to those voting to uproot the ineptitudes and delinquents from public office.
Following a resolution taken by the ANC at its elective conference in 2017, the SA government decided to downgrade its embassy in Tel Aviv. They have since moved from a downgrade to an entire shutdown of the office. Paradoxically, while the embassy is closed, there remain some cultural and economic ties between the two countries.
I am a student at one of the universities in Israel where I was awarded a prestigious scholarship. This scholarship makes it possible to send between $200 to $250 to my family back in South Africa. Do we know the importance of remittances? For those who do not have an idea, remittances (money earned from foreign countries and sent to another country) are essential for every economy as it is a critical source of external finance for South Africa. This money plays a meaningful role in combating hunger and poverty, especially in African countries. I am an active economic player, not a burden like many who are dependent on the state for their daily survival.
Most African embassies are operating their embassies to help their citizens on issues that may arise while in Israel. As my country decided to pack their bags and leave us in the cold, it gets lonely when my colleagues from other African countries visit their embassies in Tel Aviv when mine is not there. What I normally do is just join them and learn about the cultural, social and political aspects of other countries because I cannot simply keep on complaining about the ANC’s hostility against Israel.
We are South Africans who went to various countries to look for greener pastures while retaining our full South African citizenship. It was through all the concerted efforts of our forefathers that we achieved suffrage. A right to vote is a pre-requisite of any democracy; we have a right to have a say on who should preside over our polity. It is therefore the responsibility of our government to work together with the IEC to ensure that we become part of the decision-making process.
The ANC’s dislike of Israel has led the government to take the most moronic decisions in the past, such as attacking South African artists like Black Coffee (Nkosinathi Maphumulo) who had been booked to play in Israel, while ‘ordering’ Miss SA, Lalela Mswane not to participate in the Beauty Pageant held in Israel in 2021. Orlando Pirates was told it could not play with an Israel-based soccer team last year. David Teeger recently lost his captaincy in the South African Cricket Under 19 side for expressing, as a loyal Jew, his support for Israel.
It is important to stress the importance of voting to all South Africans in the country and all those in the diaspora as it remains our only tool to affect positive change. We have to come to understand that there is no politician or political party that wields power as of right; it is we, the voters, who decide to whom to give this power. We have to elect competent, ethical, and incorruptible political leadership into public office. For all South Africans in the diaspora, especially in conflict-ridden areas like Israel, Sudan, and Ukraine, it should be made possible for everyone to participate in this upcoming historic election. There is a need for all citizens to participate in spearheading political change in our country.
About the writer:
Kenneth Moeng Mokgatlhe is a political writer and researcher based at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel.
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