The true crime would be the fragility of a democracy that fails to allow its people to make up their own mind.
By Kenneth Mokgatlhe wa Kgwadi
As a Black South African who has spent almost a year studying in Israel’s Ben Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), I can surely decide for myself what is true and what is not. I know when a lie is being perpetuated to fulfil a political goal, especially in my home country of South Africa. It is for this reason that I applaud everyone who visits Israel to see for themselves what is happening.
So why the big hullabaloo over a group of South African members of parliament that included members of the DA (Democratic Alliance) and the PA (Patriotic Alliance) both of whom are in the governing coalition with the ANC as well as the ACDP (African Christian Democratic Party), who visited Israel recently on a fact-finding mission? It is being portrayed in some quarters – notably the EFF(Economic Freedom Fighters) – as nothing less than:
“…a betrayal of South Africans and Palestinians.”
What nonsense.
The Israel-hate being fueled in South Africa is now so obsessive, with the EFF even demanding these well-meaning lawmakers, who can be accused of nothing more than having enquiring independent minds, to have “their diplomatic privileges suspended pending investigation.”
What is unfolding in South Africa vis-à-vis the manipulation of attitudes towards Israel reminds me of the disturbing line of Joseph Goebbels that “Propaganda works best when those who are being manipulated are confident that they are acting on their free will.” It does not augur well that there are people who demand that others should be barred from taking trips to Israel for either fact-finding missions, leisure or business. The hatred – and it is hatred – being orchestrated in South Africa against Israel or the Jewish people is undermining rational thought. Why vilify people who want to see with their own eyes the claims made against Israel by its enemies? Why should we expect people to believe stories they are told by those who have never been to the Middle East region and seen the situation for themselves?
In any conflict situation, where propaganda is used as a tool to shape public perception of a dispute, it becomes important for lawmakers, researchers, journalists, academics, and other opinion makers to embark on fact-finding missions in order to objectively formulate their own opinions. There was no wrongdoing on the part of South Africa’s MPs who decided to visit Israel/Palestine to see and hear for themselves; to expose themselves to the reality – facts on the ground. Not only should we not vilify but we should encourage many others to follow this path of personal visits – to see and ask all the questions they want. Let them see for themselves whether there are other perspectives that are maybe contrary to the anti-Israel narrative aggressively projected by the ruling ANC party.
It’s no secret that we are living in an age of mis-and disinformation peddled to advance political causes. One of the mass media methodologies, referred to as “framing”, exposes how the media can shape how audiences understand and interpret events. We see this explicitly in the Israel-Palestine conflict whereby the international media takes sides and then escalates tensions by identifying the “victim” while isolating the “bad guy”. Biased and imbalanced, the reportage and commentary, inflames and exacerbates tensions. This explains the hullabaloo created by Israel-bashers in South Africa over the recent visit to Israel of the South African MPs. These accusers are maliciously calling for the Honorable Members to be treated like criminals who they believe offended South Africa by visiting Israel. How is this even possible?
It is important to remember that in South Africa’s last national election in 2024, the ANC for the first time lost its majority and that the current government is made up of more than 10 political parties with different policies as well as varying perspectives when it comes to the Israel-Palestine impasse. Unlike the ANC, these parties are not fixated on a one-sided antagonistic hate towards Israel, and we should allow, enable and encourage a diversity of ideas to thrive in adherence to the principals of our democracy. The ANC cannot and does not have powers to tell other parties what political beliefs to uphold – they are independent parties.
It is time for fellow South Africans to realise that the ANC’s hostility towards Israel does not represent the majority of our people’s views. It remains government policy for only so long as the ANC remains in power, and that may well change heading into the next election cycle as indicated by latest polling. The shameful reaction in some quarters to the MP fact-finding mission to Israel, is contrary to the principles of a mature and secure democracy. Do not treat the people like empty vessels to be told what to think and believe. We are quite capable to arrive at our own judgements and the fact-finding mission to Israel was no more and no less than representatives of our leadership to be exposed to the complex political landscape of the Israel Palestine conflict. Is South Africa’s democracy so fragile to understand this?
I hope not.
*Feature picture: Members of the multi-party South African delegation – including those sitting in the governing coalition – meet with Israel’s President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem while on a fact-finding mission to Israel. (Photo: South African Friends of Israel).
About the writer:
Kenneth Mokgatlhe wa Kgwadi is an independent writer, political analyst and researcher. He is doing his MA in African Studies at the Israeli-based Ben Gurion University of the Negev.
*Feature picture: Members of the multi-party South African delegation – including those sitting in the governing coalition – meet with Israel’s President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem while on a fact-finding mission to Israel. (Photo: South African Friends of Israel)
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
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