Media Statement by Bafana Modise, National Spokesperson, South African Friends of Israel (SAFI)
The South African Friends of Israel (SAFI) demands the ANC to immediately relinquish control of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) and hand it over to a Government of National Unity (GNU), a partner capable of restoring South Africa’s credibility and respect on the world stage.
“After years of diplomatic blunders and ideological prostituting, the ANC has shown it cannot be trusted to represent South Africa internationally. A new minister from outside the ANC ranks would signal to both citizens and global partners that South Africa is serious about rebuilding its integrity, investment appeal, and global relationships,” says Bafana Modise, National Spokesperson for SAFI.
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“Last week’s US-led Peace Summit in Egypt, convened to mark the end of the Israel–Hamas War and to launch the first phase of Gaza’s peace framework, exposed the full extent of South Africa’s diplomatic cancellation on the global stage. Despite being the host of the G20 in 2025, South Africa was absent from the table where global powers gathered to shape post-war stability in the Middle East. Once a respected moral voice, the country was reduced to a spectator via a Youtube livestream,” Modise continues.
Over recent years, the ANC has presided over a series of foreign-policy failures that have eroded South Africa’s international standing. These include the “Lady R” arms-shipment scandal, the pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel posturing that culminated in the ICJ genocide case, the downgrading of Taiwan’s diplomatic presence fuelled by Chinese pressure, and the SANDF Chief’s declaration of “shared goals” with Iran, whose leadership routinely chants “death to America.” Together, these blunders have made South Africa an unreliable and untrustworthy player in world affairs.
Modise added that “the ANC’s hypocrisy is glaring. It defied the International Criminal Court in 2015 by refusing to arrest Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir yet rushed to the International Court of Justice to accuse Israel of genocide. It claims non-alignment in global conflicts while maintaining economic ties with Russia throughout its war in Ukraine. It speaks of unity abroad while enforcing divisive race-based laws at home and tolerating songs sung by political leaders that call for violence against specific race groups.”
South Africa’s credibility has collapsed. Once a trusted mediator and champion of human rights, it now stands as a cautionary tale, cancelled on the world stage like a failed television show that has tanked in ratings. Meanwhile, Pretoria is scrambling to secure a new trade deal with the very country it has antagonised the most, the United States, where lawmakers increasingly question South Africa’s AGOA eligibility due to its pro-Moscow and anti-Western aspirations.
“At home, the ANC’s decay mirrors its diplomatic downfall. The Madlanga Commission and Parliament’s ad hoc committee into corruption allegations in the criminal justice system are expected to implicate more senior figures. The party’s bank accounts have been frozen over unpaid 2019 election debts. This is a party blended in scandal, incapable of representing South Africa abroad,” Modise describes.
A GNU-appointed minister at DIRCO would bring professionalism, balance, and pragmatism, putting trade, jobs, and investment first over ideology. Such a move would restore faith in South Africa’s foreign policy and send a clear message that the country is reclaiming its place as a credible and constructive global actor.
“This is not a request. It is a demand. The ANC has turned South Africa into an international embarrassment. It is time for leadership that restores dignity, competence, and hope, both at home and abroad,” concludes Modise.
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