SA expels Israeli chargé d’affaires from Pretoria for ‘gross abuse of diplomatic privilege’

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) on Friday, 30 January 2026, said it had declared the Israeli chargé d’affaires to South Africa, Ariel Seidman, persona non grata.

“This decisive measure follows a series of unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practice which pose a direct challenge to SA’s sovereignty. These violations include the repeated use of official Israeli social media platforms to launch insulting attacks against His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa, and a deliberate failure to inform Dirco of purported visits by senior Israeli officials,” the department said in a statement on Friday afternoon.

“Such actions represent a gross abuse of diplomatic privilege and a fundamental breach of the Vienna Convention. They have systematically undermined the trust and protocols essential for bilateral relations. SA’s sovereignty and the dignity of its offices are inviolable,” the statement continued.

The department added that Seidman had 72 hours to leave South Africa. He had served as chargé d’affaires of Israel to SA since August 2025.

Senior officials met with Seidman on Friday to inform him that he’d been designated persona non grata, according to a report from Bloomberg. The publication reported that the measure against Seidman comes after SA authorities issued him with two diplomatic rebukes in two months.

Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson for the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, confirmed to Daily Maverick that the department had previously issued a démarche to Seidman.

Diplomatic relations between SA and Israel have been strained by Israeli’s war in Gaza and SA’s subsequent genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

In 2019, SA permanently withdrew its ambassador from Tel Aviv, after previously recalling its ambassador to protest against Israeli armed forces killing more than 40 “peaceful” Palestinian protesters in Gaza. In November 2023, the National Assembly voted to cut diplomatic ties with Israel and shut its Embassy in Pretoria, although the Cabinet has not yet made a decision on the closing of its mission.

Read more: National Assembly votes to cut diplomatic ties with Israel and shut embassy, but it’s symbolic until government acts

‘Unauthorised engagements’

Seidman’s expulsion comes after a delegation of Israeli officials, including David Saranga from Israel’s foreign ministry, visited the Eastern Cape earlier this month to meet with King Buyelekhaya Zwelibanzi Dalindyebo, who had visited Israel in December.

In a statement on 26 January, Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane condemned the “unauthorised” visit by Israeli officials to provincial institutions, calling the engagements a “breach” of diplomatic protocol and an attempt to undermine South Africa’s sovereignty.

He said the visits to healthcare facilities and Walter Sisulu University occurred without the “knowledge, consent or support” of the provincial government.

Phiri confirmed that the Israeli Embassy also had not informed the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, nor requested permission for the visit to the province.

“Premier Mabuyane rejects the sinister deal between the King and Israel, and views these actions as an attempt by the Israeli government to undermine the sovereign right of the Republic of South Africa to manage its international affairs,” read the statement from Mabuyane’s office.

“The authority to negotiate such cooperation resides with... Dirco, and the King has no mandate to interfere in the management of hospitals, including the sourcing of foreign assistance. The cooperation between government and international partners, as a rule, should be initiated and managed by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation in conjunction with the National Treasury.

“The Premier views attempts to bypass established protocol as mischievous,” the statement read.

Later on Friday afternoon, Israel responded to South Africa’s decision to expel Seidman by declaring its representative in the State of Palestine, Shaun Byneveldt, a persona non grata. In a post on X, Israel’s foreign ministry called SA’s decision against Seidman “baseless”. DM