ANC rewrites history to suit its narrative

As South African Jewry mourned the first anniversary since the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa changed the historical facts in a statement he made on 7 October 2024, which begins with him claiming that 7 October, “marks one year since the start of an onslaught against the Palestinian people that has thus far claimed more than 43 000 lives”.

He made no mention that the only thing Israel did on that day was try to rescue its citizens from unspeakable brutality and acts of genocide. He went on to say, “The violence that has been committed by Israel against Palestinians over many decades intensified after an attack on Israel by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups on 7 October last year,” effectively blaming Israel for the massacre.

Ramaphosa went on to say that Israel had fewer victims than the Palestinians, and called for the hostages to be released, almost excusing himself by saying “we cannot help but be moved” by their plight. He then equivocated Hamas criminals held in Israeli jails with innocent Israelis held hostage by Hamas terrorists. He made no mention of Hezbollah’s unprovoked daily rocket attacks on Israel over the past year, framing Israel’s response as aggression.

The chairperson of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, Professor Karen Milner, says, “The ANC [African National Congress] is rewriting history with the sole aim of hurting South African Jewry. A year ago, on 7 October, when Hamas brutally killed, raped, burnt, murdered, and kidnapped innocent Israeli civilians, leaving more than 1 200 dead, it refused to condemn Hamas and show any sympathy for the victims. One year later, the ANC is still refusing to acknowledge Hamas’s atrocities.

“The lack of compassion the president has for the victims of 7 October is stark, and a devastating reminder to the Jewish community about how little he cares for Jewish lives. Once again, we cannot help but lament the missed opportunity for South Africa to play a real role in this war-torn region by being an honest broker in seeking peace rather than being a Hamas apologist.”

Ramaphosa’s comments on 7 October are outrageous, says South African Zionist Federation spokesperson Rolene Marks. “Blaming Israel for Hamas’s attack is nothing short of victim-blaming, twisting the truth about what happened that day. The timing of this insensitivity was deliberate, and gaslights Jews. Instead of fostering unity, the president sows division.”

Ramaphosa’s comments came after the ANC hosted a vigil on 6 October which it said “paid tribute to the 42 000 Palestinian civilians who lost their lives between October 2023 and October 2024”, neglecting to mention that almost 18 000 Palestinians killed in the war were Hamas combatants, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

The event was hosted with anti-Israel groups that call for the obliteration of Israel through violent means. Participants held signs saying, “Israel has no history, only a criminal record.”

At the vigil, Ronald Lamola, minister of international relations and cooperation, said, “We know apartheid when we see it”, and that it was clear that “Israel are the aggressors” in the conflict. His comments come after press releases from his department on 28 September and 2 October, in which the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) stated, “The government of South Africa expresses its profound concern regarding the recent escalation of extrajudicial killings in the Middle East, most notably the tragic assassination of [Hezbollah leader] Hassan Nasrallah.”

It also condemned Israel’s targeted pager attack on Hezbollah terrorists, saying it “warrants strong condemnation from the international community. Such attacks on civilians constitute a grave violation of international human rights and humanitarian law”. South Africa has never condemned Hezbollah’s indiscriminate rocket attacks on Israelis since 8 October, including the murder of 12 Druze children.

Dirco went on to blame Israel for Iran’s missile attack on 1 October, saying, “The continued occupation of Palestine has denied the Palestinian people their enshrined rights of self-determination and statehood, which remains a prerequisite to restoring peace and security in the region.”

On 7 October, the ANC repeated the lie that all Palestinians who have died in the Gaza war were defenceless civilians, and that Israel attacked Gaza on 7 October. “This day marks a year since the Israel massacre of 42 000 unarmed Palestinian civilians, journalists, and the displacement of millions by the genocidal Israel government,” it said.

Said Milner, “Since 7 October 2023, the ANC has consistently lauded the perpetrators without recognition of the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. The party has consistently bashed South African Jews for its own political expediency.

“We mourn the loss of all innocent lives on both sides. However, the ANC has demonstrated intense denialism in its refusal to acknowledge that innocent Israeli lives were needlessly taken, unprovoked, on 7 October, and in terror attacks since that day,” says Milner. “If the ANC was genuinely worried about the lives of innocents, it would pressure its friend, Hamas, to release the hostages and ensure the war ends.”

Says Marks, “The ANC government didn’t even bother to condemn Iran explicitly for its blatant act of war against Israel. It didn’t hesitate to mourn Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s death, calling it a tragedy. This shows, beyond doubt, that the ANC stands with rogue states and terrorist organisations. It’s preposterous that the president of a country that accuses Israel of genocide sides with Hamas and Iran, which have both clearly stated their goal of eradicating Israel and the Jewish people.”

Local political analyst Daniel Silke says Ramaphosa’s statement “is entirely in line with the broader shift in South African foreign policy. After years of increased influence from Iranian and Palestinian agencies that operate in and out of South Africa, the country’s foreign policy is now myopic, not prepared even to acknowledge the suffering of Israelis.”

It’s also part of “a broader foreign policy battle within the ANC, where some wish to distance themselves from the West and move towards a new non-aligned BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates), post-United States (US) world. Israel is a useful pawn to critique the West, given that it is seen as a proxy of the US. This corresponds with the Iranian view, and South Africa’s close ties with Iran play into this.”

In addition, “South Africa has been emboldened by global sentiment,” Silke says, “and this kind of statement reflects the ANC’s ease with its more radical approach.”

However, “It’s a shame that Ramaphosa has failed to show any empathy with the Jewish community in South Africa,” says Silke. “He can retain his views on Israel, but he can also show an understanding of the depth of feeling that exists within the Jewish community. Yet, he has failed to express any empathy.”