MIDDLE EAST CRISIS
SA welcomes UN Security Council demand for a ceasefire in Gaza
Minister Naledi Pandor said the UN Security Council ‘will be tested’ on its adherence to its Gaza ceasefire resolution. Pandor was in the US to urge legislators and officials not to punish SA for its stance on Palestine.
South Africa has welcomed the adoption by the UN Security Council of a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip after the US withheld its veto to enable Resolution 2728 (2024) to pass.
However, large doubts immediately arose about whether Israel would implement a ceasefire and the Israeli government criticised the US for failing to block the resolution. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called off a planned visit to Washington by his officials for high-level talks with the US on Israel’s planned attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which the US has opposed.
South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor welcomed the UN decision, but said it was now the responsibility of the Security Council to ensure that there was compliance with the resolution, which is binding on the parties.
“The ball is now in the court of the Security Council as they will be tested as to their adherence to the resolution,” she told the Department of International Relations and Cooperation’s (Dirco’s) Ubuntu Radio.
Pandor nonetheless said, “South Africa is pleased that the Security Council has, at long last, demanded an immediate and lasting ceasefire for the month of Ramadan and the resolution also proposed that this ceasefire should lead to a lasting sustainable ceasefire.”
She said SA had called for a ceasefire “for many, many weeks”.
Read more in Daily Maverick: Middle East crisis
Dirco said that South Africa remained concerned that in the more than five months since the conflict began, thousands had lost their lives, including more than 13,000 children.
“As Resolution 2728 notes, there is an ‘urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian assistance to and reinforce the protection of civilians in the entire Gaza Strip,’ ” Dirco added.
“It is therefore vital that the parties comply with the Security Council’s ‘demand for the lifting of all barriers to the provision of humanitarian assistance at scale, in line with international humanitarian law, as well as Resolution 2712 (2023) and 2720 (2023)’ ”.
The Security Council’s decision to call for a ceasefire ended a five-month stalemate in which the US had vetoed three previous attempts at ceasefire resolutions, insisting on Israel’s right to pursue the fight against Hamas, which it has vowed to destroy.
More than 32,000 Gazans have been killed in Israel’s assault, which was launched following Hamas’ attack on Israel on 7 October that killed almost 1,200 people and led to the taking of around 250 hostages.
Monday’s resolution passed with 14 votes in favour, none against and one abstention, from the US. The chamber erupted in applause when the vote was concluded.
Hostage negotiations
Netanyahu’s office slammed the US abstention as a retreat from the consistent US position since the start of the war and said it would harm Israel’s war effort as well as its attempts to free the remaining hostages.
But the US State Department said its abstention “reaffirms the US position that a ceasefire of any duration comes as part of an agreement to release hostages in Gaza”.
It added that the resolution recognised “the painstaking, non-stop negotiations” being conducted by Egypt, Israel, Qatar and the US to free the hostages in the context of a ceasefire.
The US said it did not vote for the resolution because it failed to condemn Hamas for its 7 October attack. It reiterated the need to accelerate and sustain the provision of humanitarian assistance for Gaza through all available routes, by land, sea and air.
Pandor was in the US to “affirm the very positive relationship between South Africa and the United States of America, to continue to advocate for a greater economic partnership … as well as the continued participation of South Africa in the African Growth and Opportunity Act which allows for preferential trade [with the US] for a number of African countries including South Africa”.
She told Ubuntu Radio that South Africa was concerned about resolutions and proposed legislation now before the House of Representatives. She was referring in particular to a Bill approved by the House’s Foreign Affairs Committee last week that calls on the administration to conduct a comprehensive review of US relations with SA including SA’s continued eligibility to enjoy benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa).
Read more in Daily Maverick: Bill that calls for full review of US relations with SA crosses first hurdle in US Congress
The bipartisan Bill was prompted by criticism from several members of Congress of SA’s position on Russia’s war against Ukraine as well as Pretoria’s stance on Israel’s war against Hamas. SA’s submission of genocide charges against Israel to the International Court of Justice over its assault on Gaza has particularly angered conservatives in Congress.
Pandor told the radio station that part of her mission in the US was to explain to officials and members of Congress SA’s position on “freedom for the people of Palestine. But also to indicate that we believe the human rights position adopted by South Africa is well in line with the policy position of the United States of America. And that it is natural for South Africa as a post-apartheid democracy to advocate for human rights, for justice and for freedom for the people of Palestine.”
Pandor said that she hoped to persuade the US officials and Congress members she met “to rethink any intention to execute punitive measures of any kind towards our country”. DM
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If only the government put the same effort into a ceasefire by criminals on the citizens in South Africa. HYPOCRITES.
Kevin don’t let your love of Israel and your racist mindset deviate from the importance of the ruling to the victims of the unholy attacks by Hamas and the decade racist persecution and mass murder of Palestinians.
You want to comment on the cease fire article but you don’t say a word related to the article or the UNSC.
Being a crime fanatic you should know that poverty is a big crime contributor and it didn’t start in 1994 actually people of colour were subjected to poverty by a racist system and you sound like a beneficiary of that system.
I am specifically responding to you, a majority of white people live with diverse people like brothers and sisters, the learn and teach and it is because of them that our democracy which the ANC abuses was achieved without a shot but you fail to see that the Palestinians and Jews don’t need genocide and terror attacks to achieve the same, you are the bloody hypocrite.
Kenneth,
Firstly: I am not sure what gave you any idea that I have any love for Israel. I certainly did NOT say that. You have clearly chosen a side in a conflict that you cannot even begin to understand and probably have no context of to begin with. The Hamas attack on Israel is what has prompted the level of what is going on. Two wrongs do not make one right. If you think Hamas have no blame, then you are deluded.
Secondly: You do not know me, so don’t pretend to. If I am calling out a government who is more concerned with conflict in other countries instead of dealing with issues at home, then how is that being “a crime fanatic” or even having a “racist mindset”. Why is it that whenever a person calls out the ANC and bad government that they are then automatically labelled a racist?
You are entitled to your opinion, as am I. I dont quite care about your opinion of me, which is completed unfounded, baseless and incorrect to say the least. I can say this much though. I do agree with you that poverty forces people to crime BUT how is it that apartheid is then always used as an excuse to somehow excuse it? How about we worry about people who are getting killed in our own country for a box of matches or a pair of shoes ?
Also, with all the money that his vanished through corruption, that could have been put to work to lift so many people out of poverty, why has that not happened? WHY is there no accountability for wrongdoing?
Well said.
While this position must be applauded, it must be remembered that the Dalai Lama’s is not permitted to enter South Africa. The Government clearly doesn’t recognise Tibet’s struggle for human rights.
Which is weird because they had no problem letting him in in 2001 when he was on his “Ethics for a New Millenium” tour. I guess they didn’t dig what he had to tell them.
“Leave us alone” Israeli pacifists after the 7th
South Africa has humiliated the US. In particular a woke US government under that mentally challenged Biden. I see two things happening. Firstly US will punish South Africa even though its the ANC to blame and not South Africans in general even though the majority of dimwits vote for these imbeciles not really knowing why. Secondly I imagine Israel will continue with its objectives to wipe out the Hamas terrorists, Naledi’s friends, despite any ICJ ruling on the ceasefire. Just like Russia ignores the ICJ with Ukraine. In the background USA will make big talk and use their propaganda media machine to tell the world what they want to hear about their stance on the conflict, whilst still supporting and arming Israel in the murky background. I think Naledi has achieved nothing positive except for foreign monetary assistance the ANC party which it is almost certainly getting, most likely from Iran for pursuing this agenda. It will all come out in the wash eventually, just like with the swimming pool at Nkandla.
I agree with everything you say but I’m not sure about the US being humiliated by SA. See the Wall St Journal of yesterday . The US is well aware of the issues here and are scrutinizing their relationship with this corrupt, unethical government that Pandor represents. The US will, no doubt, do what suits them best in their own election year.
I am wondering whether Pandor is an honorary member of Hamas
I am no fan of Ms Pandor’s, but would like DM to explain how it is acceptable for Geoff Coles to make a viscous comment like this.
Or is it okay with you to let the debate to descend to these levels?
Hmm, a deliberate slip one now wonders? A viscous substance is typically described as “thick”. In the greater scheme of adjectives, this one would seem to be fairly mild, especially if referring accurately to her middle organ regions. Mr Coles, made no such comment.
What a ridiculous statement, where are your humanity? Criminal Zionist Israel was always about stealing Palestinian land while eliminating (Genocide) the Palestinians.
If it is Palestinian land, how come have archaeologists unearthed thousands of Israelite artefacts (even coins of more than 2,000 years old) but have found nothing Palestinian?
I am reminded of a joke which declared that the absence of copper and any such conductive materials in the field of communication excavated from Irish soils, proved that they were the foremost nation in the advancement of wireless technology. ( I am of Irish extraction, so no need to feel insulted on my behalf.)
If certain sections of the media can ventilate, without proof, suburban dinner party gossip by Cronje, Hoffman et al, that Iran paid for SA’s position on Israel/Palestine, I guess I too can claim this Security Council resolution has been paid for by Iran.
After all, many of the SC members have pending expensive elections needing funds.
I think the ANC government has already paid on behalf of the South African tax payers without bringing the matter before parliament first. My understanding is that these ICJ cases aren’t free. No reason for Iran to pay. Not directly in any case. We’ve already done it. I doubt the ANC will be paying back the tax payer though with the Iranian money.
You are right Malcolm. ICJ cases are expensive to fund. I have heard R1 billion but I could be wrong? I think we, the taxpayers, have paid for this but I also think that the ANC, as a party, received funding from Iran to take this case to the ICJ. So we have paid and the ANC have benefitted. Could be just coincidence but around late November 2023 the ANC had no money. Then they took on the ICJ case and then suddenly they had money??
I agree with your comments Michael.
You are entitled to your opinion but really this often repeated innuendo about Iran funding the ANC is just rumormongering.
The truth will out. Much like the fire pool. The difference between a rumor and fact when it comes to ANC is merely an issue of time in most cases. So today’s rumor more often than not becomes tomorrows fact. Some of us just like jumping the gun a little when it comes to the ANC because we are almost always spot on with our theories.
Join the dots. There are some knowledgable media people and political commentators that seem to think that the ANC received funding from both Russia and Iran in recent times. Of course there are no paper trails but just think about the fact that most politicians travel with diplomatic immunity and how a large amount of USDs found their way into Cyril’s couch.
@Malcolm, yes the truth will out and when it does you can make comments about Iran funding the ANC. Up until that point it is just a slanderous gossip you are repeating in the hope that if you say it often enough it may become fact.
@Michael, who are these mysterious “knowledgable media people and political commentators” you refer to? None that I have seen. The debacle with Cyril’s couch has nothing to do with the Iran accusation so not sure why you through that in there.
Our government shows hypocrisy, genuflects themselves to certain allies, takes a stand on Gaza but not on the Ukraine? Unfortunately, most governments are the same, aligned in camps – ideology coming first – morality and humanity a distant second (unless points can be scored to make them look good)
Bless these “woke” kids; not scared of other races, not scared of “different”, actively engaging and protesting against ALL wrong. They make a lot of noise. It’s the likes of Putin, Netanyahu, Trump, with their narrow minded and belligerent followers that they are up against.
At 05:48 Mister Mason reminded us of Tibet’s struggles, a worthy cause no-one champions. Maybe our Minister of International Relations can champion this one.
Breaking news, Francesca Albanese UN special rapporteur has accused Israel of genocide, if this doesn’t vindicate Pandor and south Africa nothing will.
It doesn’t mean the ANC and some appointed government officials are doing a good job at all, they have undermined domestic progress but credit must go to where it’s due.
Hamas terrorist actions against innocent civillians has been repeatedly condemned in the UN but a specific ruling on Hamas is not possible because they are not recognized as a state, even if they win elections in Palestine, Israel and Europe has not recognized Palestine as a sovereign state.
Giving credit where it is due, does not come easily to those who were the beneficiaries of the apartheid regime . Now that the last remaining apartheid state in the world has been exposed, and with it its collaborating main sponsor the immoral US, it is going to be even harder to do that. It is the ‘price’ of standing up for ‘justice’ . Like Trump and our own JZ, the Zionist state has for over five decades been above ‘international law’ … which is why the US and Israel in particular have been on a mission to discredit the UN (which they established after WW II – in the mistaken hope of ‘controlling’ it for their Zionist and imperialist ambitions) and make it ‘irrelevant’ ! But because they failed … and the ‘world’ (not the 10% western one) started seeing through their diabolical and genocidal ambitions it is embarrassed. The US is firmly complicit in the ongoing genocide in Gaza (as is most of the ‘west’) ! BUT … there will come a time for a second Nuremberg to deal with that, because ALL empires crumble at some time or the other. It is just blind hubris that keeps the going till then .
And Ramaphosa just sent congratulations to Putin on his “re-election”!
I wonder if Pandor has read the 500 page report of the commission (headed by a judge from Bangladesh, so DIRCO cannot claim “Western” bias or “neo-colonialism”) to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, which lays out and condemns Iran’s brutal suppression of dissent in that benighted Country? The report even states that some of the more extreme actions of the security and morality police in Iran are “crimes against humanity”. And this is, along with Putin’s Russia, a fellow member of that fatuous grouping called BRICS-Plus! Of course Iran supports and funds Hamas (which is committed to the elimination of Israel: no two-state solution for them) and is a proscribed terrorist organisation which the ANC welcomed to South Africa last year. And Pandor wonders why the Americans are getting angry and seriously questioning their relationship with SA. When she was asked (in the US) whether Iran was an authoritarian regime, she was not able to answer.
You obviously have all the ‘answers’ ! Wonder why the DM or any other media house has not commissioned you to share your infinite wisdom (and hubris) with us poor souls ? For LOL !
And Ramaphosa just sent congratulations to Putin on his “re-election”!
I wonder if Pandor has read the 500 page report of the commission (headed by a judge from Bangladesh, so DIRCO cannot claim “Western” bias or “neo-colonialism”) to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, which lays out and condemns Iran’s brutal suppression of dissent in that benighted Country? The report even states that some of the more extreme actions of the security and morality police in Iran are “crimes against humanity”. And this is, along with Putin’s Russia, a fellow member of that fatuous grouping called BRICS-Plus! Of course Iran supports and funds Hamas (which is committed to the elimination of Israel: no two-state solution for them) and is a proscribed terrorist organisation which the ANC welcomed to South Africa last year. And Pandor wonders why the Americans are getting angry and seriously questioning their relationship with SA. When she was asked (in the US) whether Iran was an authoritarian regime, she was not able to answer.
Ramaphosa’s “congratulations” to Putin really only amount to saying “We note the results of the recent elections in your country, and we look forward to continuing our current amicable relations!”
Israel will do what is necessary whether the UN like it or not.
Correction, that should read “Israel will do what they believe is necessary…”
Lynda .. isn’t that what Israel has been doing since its founding … with the unconditional support of the greatest terrorist state in the world .. the US … and now the ‘west’ also? Suggest you see why Assange is about to be ‘extradited’ to the US with UK complicity.
And Pandor really should look up the meaning of the word “genocide” in the Oxford Dictionary – the Shorter one will do. I am sure DIRCO can find a copy somewhere. It means, in brief, the “extermination of a race”. There have been well documented genocides in recent history: the Turkish attempted elimination of the Armenians: the Nazis against the Jews and others: Stalin’s against the Ukraine (the holomyr) and others, the Hutus against the Tutsi’s in Rwanda – but what Israel is trying to do is eliminate the threat of Hamas once and for all. Civilians will always get caught in the crossfire. When the allies invaded France in June 1944 there were over 30,000 civilian FRENCH casualties due to the preliminary bombing and artillery bombardments. Very sad, and very regrettable. One wonders if the figures (given out by Hamas), for the civilian deaths in Gaza are firstly accurate – and secondly how many of them are in fact Hamas militia. And don’t let’s forget, Hamas started this with its attacks on October on 7th on CIVILIANS in Israel.
True, The ICJ and all its lawyers and judges with those daft 16th century wigs on (Not sure what they identify as) should perhaps also use the old oxford english dictionary. Starting with the words man / woman and working their way from there. The world is no longer a transparent straight forward place because of people wanting to promote outrageous ideologies and agendas. Anything goes. As for Naledi, I still think her brain is in her purse.
Well put Chris, couldn’t have said it better.
Perhaps you should have checked the same dictionary you are quoting
“Genocide – the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group.”
Relax John UN has just declared that Israel is commiting genocide in Gaza, I doubt if we need new interpretation and this time it’s not plausible it is actual.
Don’t worry … the Zionist apologists will find some way of ‘explaining away’ the report as being ‘without foundation, meritless, baseless, no standing etc” … as they did with the original application to the ICJ ! There is no limit to American (hence Israeli) hubris . As I have said previously … the US and Israel have been on a concerted mission to undermine and discredit the UN .. by any means available. The US wants a monopoly over what constitutes ‘international law/order’ ! It will be supported by 10% of the world population called the ‘west’ .
I think Minister Pandor is correct by using definition of genocide as described in Article 2 of the UN convention. By her using only that specific article, as a minister, she will be speaking the same language as her peers. That will lead to quick understanding of issues on the table and their speedy resolution
That will not stop Zionists and America (it sponsor) from inventing new definitions (they do it all the time – it is part of their genetic code!) of what terrorism, occupation, democracy etc is ! Listen to the remarks of IDF spokespeople and American press briefings .. and you wonder who is the bigger liar … trying to dupe the rest of the world … which they do frequently. In simple language … a liar ! Huge numbers of Americans including ones in the white house even bow and prostrate themselves at the feet of the biggest liar president they had recently. Note how the term ‘international’ is used in the media to refer to 10% of the world population … when they really mean the ‘west’. It is not an accident ! The colonialist hubris is unending !
Who in their right mind could ever take the deceitful, hypocritical and hideous Pandor, Cyril, anc seriously??? They condemn human rights abuses, killings etc. only when and want to, what suits them in their warped and deranged agenda whilst turning a complete blind eye to the very same atrocities committed by those who they idiotically worship and pay homage to. Israel in this case, will do what it has to do in order to protect its citizens and survive as a nation from those whose sole mission in life is to kill and obliterate it.
You are just doing the same warped and deranged agenda by choosing a side that suits you.
You just decided to mention only Israel defending itself forgetting that Palestinians are also humans whose life also needs to be defended not lesser but equal to Israel, don’t confuse Hamas with Palestine.
Before you go to the argument of Hamas hiding behind civillians, the first rule of discharging a weapon is having a clear target, Israel and Russia have failed to observe that rule although the both participate in the security council.
Oh I forgot some civilians are disposable due to their ethnic origin.
It is telling how much attention the aspect of ceasefire receives, but the other significant part of the resolution is largely ignored – being the release of the hostages. I wonder why? And will the same pressure be brought to bear on Hamas to comply?
Well said David. There is much more to the resolution than just the ceasefire. Let’s see if pandor and the anc and many others recognise this fact and insist on hamas releasing prisoners.
Well said David. There is much more to the resolution than just the ceasefire. Let’s see if pandor and the anc and many others recognise this fact and insist on hamas releasing prisoners.
What about simultaneously calling for the multiple thousands of Palestinian hostages in Israeli jails … over several decades also ? By the way … did you call for the release of all the political prisoners in apartheid SA jails ?
I was a political prisoner in apartheid SA jails. Where were you?
Back at the ranch Pandoras doos probably does not have a clue what a loaf of bread cost.
Bob – March 26th 2024 at 12:35 Commenting is a complete waste of time and effort. Mine are never accepted.
This one was, Bob!
Those of yours that I’ve seen have been civil. Maybe some weren’t?
Is the resolution binding or not? There seems to be some disagreement about this.
The UN is toothless in general so no, even if legally binding it will change nothing.
Yes … it will change nothing … because the major powers with veto powers will and do make it so! America in particular with its illegitimate child Israel, from its incest with the UK in tow, has been on a concerted mission to delegitimise it since its ’67 ruling .. especially when findings go against it/them. A kind of having/wanting your cake and eating it ! But when it can be abused to go after or victimise those that don’t agree with you … its O.K. Maybe having it both ways is a simpler description ?
One thing that no one seems to talk about is that the ANC’s stance on the Israel/Hamas conflict will bring them a lot of votes in the upcoming elections, and most likely will cause the undoing of the DA in the Western Cape and their position of official opposition.
> “However, large doubts immediately arose about whether Israel would implement a ceasefire”
Why no mention of HAMAS implementing the ceasefire, Peter? I believe that they have fired some 20,000 missiles into Israel, AFTER the 7th of October.
I fail to see your reasoning for mentioning Hamas missiles fired after the 7th of October. Is the logic supposedly that in this war Israel can attack Palestine but somehow only terrorists would fight back?
Pandor is pandering.. Why does she not apply the same logic to Russia and the ICJ’s ruling.
Ms Pandor does not mention that the ceasefire is conditional on the release of the hostages. She never does! Nor does she call on Hamas to do what it can to get a ceasefire and save Palestinian lives. All vote catching! Hopefully South African voters, especially in the Western Cape can see through this.
I have heard Pandor condemning both the October 7th and the Israel actions in Palestine, she just places emphasis on the fact that things didn’t start in a vacuum on October 7.
I am not certain how she handles party duties but as a government minister there is no tangible proof of wrong doing.
I also saw a delegation from south Africa in Ukraine in the middle of the war and Zelensky shared his peace plan with them and they echoed to Putin the respect of sovereign territorial intergrity and respect of international law which forms part of the Ukraine peace plan.
The drive that the south African delegation presented in both Ukraine and Russia (Pandor included) of dialogue is what will end the war.
Sooner is always better.
Talking about HYPOCRISY . So cANCer is very keen that there is a ceasfire over Ramadan. No doubt to Pandor to the muslim community and generate more support and votes in the Western Cape against a DA majority. Of course muslim controlled countries had no compunction in attacking Israel in 1973 on Yom Kippur the holiest Jewish day of the year, and Hamas and Islamic Jihad on October 07 Simchat Torah the holy day of completing reading the annual cycle of the Torah. I don’t recall that being problematic for Pandor and her box. Of course the fact that the Yom Kippur war in 1973 initiated by Arab armies was also over Ramadan being a time of increased Islamic fervor, is completely lost on Pandor’s delicate sensibilities for muslims over Ramadan. Or their votes. .
I welcome the UN resolution to stop the bombardment of Palestine by Israel the same way I welcomed the ICK ruling on the case brought before it by SA. I also welcome the upcoming decision of the US House of Representatives on keeping SA as one of the beneficiaries of Agoa, I say this as I don’t see any dominance of imbeciles in that house. USA is quite aware of the importance of SA, its influence, standing and location, in USA’s course, whatever you may think it is. Yes, withdrawal of USA from SA, in anywhich way, will hurt SA the most, however, USA is wise to the fact that it will be disadvantaged geopolitically, among other areas. On SA, I would like to plead with reasonable minded SAns nevervto underestimate the effects of apartheid in all spheres of this country’s life. Even if a SAn is not attached to a university or institution like that, must try to immerse himself with understanding of its overall effects. At the onset of democracy, the new government inherited an economy in crisis, shaped by apartheid polices and heavily on its primary sector, which was designed to boost other economies. Few years back I had the pleasure of listening to on of the sons of SA, Anton Rupert. Among the things he said in that interview was that SA missed a golden opportunity in 1994 they business community chose not to keep its asserts in liquid form, instead of investing to create more opportunities. Can we please think as inhabitants of one country. We don’t have another one.
By “we” you probably mean people like you and I … but for the majority of respondents … they probably have ‘European’ ancestry … and thus have a second ‘home’ they can go to .. this is just a ‘holiday home’ ! Your thesis is about a coin having ‘two’ sides .. one without the other cannot exist. Except if you cut your nose to spite your face !
It’s true. I always think that we can build this country as one nation. I guess I’m just a dreamer. Also, it is only foolish to even imagine the DA being a majority party in a country populated, by far, by the indigenous black people.
Labelling Congress as “imbeciles” is truly rich coming from someone who has so uncritically drunk deeply of the hypocrisy and delusion inducing Kool-Aid the ANC libates to the masses. That you characterise members of Congress as imbeciles when the South African parliament is probably populated not only by idiots ( IQ < 25, imbecile < 50, moron < 75 ) but corrupt, immoral and incompetent idiots, reflects poorly on your IQ, not Congress'. On a point of information ( scientific fact, google it ) the IQ of the average US citizen is ~100, whereas the IQ of the average Sub-Saharan is ~70 possibly ~80, which not only demonstrates the absurdity of your insult, but also supports the notion that the average IQ in the SA parliament ( and government ) is likely to be ~20 points lower than the average IQ in Congress and the US government. People in glass houses really should not throw stones.
Appealing to the consequences of apartheid as an excuse for the collapse of South Africa is really tired and only serves to underline African victimhood and its denial of reality. Look at the Jews, they were persecuted in Europe, they fled to Israel, with nothing, no free shares because of BEE, no functioning infrastructure or economy yet they built a world class country, look at Japan post WWII, Malaysia, Singapore,India post independence, now all successful, only Africa consistently fails, African victimhood and constant use of excuses is why.
South Africans of European ancestry, do not have a second “home” to go to. We all wish to high heaven that we did considering how majority misrule has destroyed SA. One of the reasons “Europeans” are so critical of the destructive influence of the ANC is precisely because we have nowhere else to go. We wanted ALL South Africans and SA to succeed, to remain the African powerhouse, but it is not our policies that have destroyed SA. If you could convince some civilised country, with a functioning economy, without racist BEE laws, with the rule of law, without crippling corruption, with decent education, with working railways and ports, with intact roads, with functional public healthcare, with municipalities that provide services, with police who fight crime and not overweight KFC guzzling boors, with civil servants who grasp that they serve the public and are efficient,with ministers that actually work, with citizens who care about effective and honest government rather than the race of politicians and with politicians who are not totally intransigent, are not hellbent on imposing insane Marxist policies and who do not pig out at the corruption trough to please, please give us visas or citizenship, then many of us would reluctantly leave people with your mindset to drive SA into ground despite not wanting to go, we love SA as much as you claim to. The coin DOES have two sides, rights and responsibilities, Africans are big on rights, but weak on responsibility.
Dirco along with its misleader, Pizza-the-Hutt Pandor, lives in an echo chamber of astonishing arrogance and stupidity. Despite the fact that the UN was long ago compromised by muslims and autocrats ( Saudi Arabia heading up a panel on human rights, UN tolerance for Islamic terrorism, Russia’s mere presence on the security council, UNRWA’s infiltration by Hamas etc ) it will nonetheless be fascinating to see exactly how the UN plans to enforce this ceasefire. Is it going to say nasty things to Israel, threatening it with, what – everybody treats Israel like dirt already ? Is it going to send UN “peacekeeping” forces ( which are always soldiers from member countries, like powerless and immoral South Africa for example ) to stop the IDF ? Yeah sure, the only country really capable of opposing the IDF is the US and it is hardly likely to fight the IDF in favour of a bunch of terrorist losers like the Palestinians. Russia’s forces have proved to be useless, African defence forces are staffed by undisciplined craven incompetents, South America never gets involved, the EU won’t get involved, so who, the Chinese, Malaysians, Indians ? Pizza-the-Hutt has a huge mouth ( all the better to stuff all those KFC buckets and pizzas into 6 times a day ) but can not carry through, just like her ANC masters, just like Africa, lots of rhetoric but zero ability.
James I have followed Pandor’s responses to the Ukraine, Sudan and the war of genocide and femine in Palestine, she is consistent with the dynamics and facts.
I have no option but view that attacks on her are driven by certain people who are rattled by the fact that being European cannot be superior anymore, being challenged openly is foreign to them.
As a last form of useless defence they resort to denials the last one being that the genocide correctly pointed out by Pandor and confirmed by the UN has not been proven in court, perhaps courts must decide everything to them because all the natural senses like sight,smell,hearing and brain coordination were just wasted on them.
What genocide has been confirmed by the UN.? The UN Rapporteur is notoriously and virrently anti-Israel. Is this your “confirmation”. If I am Islamophobic and consistently declare all muslims are terrorists does that make it true.? No of course not. For genocide to mean anything it has nothing to do with Israel haters biased opinion and Tik Tok comments but has to conform to the laws of the Genocide Convention. Intent is one of them. Civilians tragically caught up in a war not of Israel’s making is not genocide. Not even war crimes under the Geneva Convention if any party to the war embeds itself in it’s civilian population. The intent of Hamas has always been for this objective , knowingly using the inevitable deaths of it’s citizens as a strategy for world opinion against Israel. I repeat – Intent.