Former chief justice talks of covenant between Israel and SA

“And we will build an altar, a spiritual altar, and a covenant between our two countries.” These were the words of former Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng during a tree planting ceremony in the picturesque Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael/Jewish National Fund Eshtaol Forest Nursery, nestled in the hills of Beit Shemesh.

South Africa’s former chief justice spoke with passion about Israel and South Africa and their connection.

He was in Israel with his wife, Mmaphefo, and a 90-member delegation as part of the annual Feast of the Tabernacles. This was his first visit, one that he said had had a profound impact on him.

Mogoeng, a devout Christian who served as chief justice from 2011 to 2021, was excited that this visit coincided with the annual Feast of the Tabernacles in Jerusalem.

The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, which organises the annual gathering of Christians from around the world, presented Mogoeng with its Nechemia Award “for his courageous biblical stand with Israel, which has contributed greatly to the just and moral cause of the Jewish nation and people”.

In response, Mogoeng said, “I’m overwhelmed. It’s a great honour. What better present can you get than to be recognised for your little contribution and to be appreciated by fellow Christians and in the holy land?”

At the nursery, Mogoeng acknowledged the risk to his safety from visiting Israel, an activity that South Africa’s ruling African National Congress government doesn’t encourage.

He spoke about the death threats that had received from angry parties in South Africa, and said in spite of the risk, nothing would deter him from his purpose.

He touched on the divide between South Africa and Israel, and expressed hope that it would be healed and ties restored.

He expressed grave concern about ongoing divisions and tensions in South Africa. “South Africa has never been more divided along so many lines. It’s time to heal,” Mogoeng said.

He elaborated on the many areas where Israel could help South Africa, and how other African countries had recognised this and were growing bilateral relations with the Jewish state. He emphasised that his words weren’t on behalf of the government or even political, but rather came from a spiritual place.

Perhaps the most moving moment was when Mogoeng also spoke about his intention to bury coins and stones in sacred soil as a covenant between the two countries. He spoke about the importance of building an altar, a covenant between Israel and South Africa, that would result in the restoration of ties, the healing of the past, and would bless both countries. His sentiments were extremely well received by the delegation, many of whom had never visited Israel before.

They were also well received in South Africa. Jewish National Fund (JNF) South Africa Chairperson Michael Kransdorff said the JNF of South Africa was grateful to the former chief justice for his courage in morally defending the rights of the Jewish people and promoting peace in the Middle East in spite of the enormous risk to his safety on return.

Kransdorff said he hoped the tree of honour that Mogoeng had planted in the hills surrounding the holiest of cities, Jerusalem, would grow to become a symbol of the former chief justice’s deep-rooted biblical values.

Rowan Polovin, the national chairperson of the South African Zionist Federation, welcomed the planting of the tree by the former chief justice, saying that he hoped that the agricultural lessons learned during the trip would be applied to South Africa, a country where food security is a daunting challenge. It’s a possibility, he said, considering that the former chief justice had been quoted as saying that Israel was much more than he expected.