South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola (left) and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (center) during a meeting of G20 foreign ministers in Johannesburg, South Africa, February 20, 2025. EMMANUEL CROSET/AFP
Relations between Israel and South Africa, already strained, have now deteriorated even further. The highest-ranking Israeli official in South Africa, chargé d'affaires Ariel Seidman, was ordered to leave the country by Monday, February 2, less than six months after taking up his post. On Friday, he was declared persona non grata in his host country – an unprecedented decision, given that Israel has not had an ambassador in the country for over two years.
The South African foreign ministry explained that this "follows a series of unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practice which pose a direct challenge to South Africa's sovereignty." Pretoria was particularly angered by a message posted on X by the Israeli embassy in November that described comments by Cyril Ramaphosa – who said that "in [his] experience," boycott policies do not work – as "a rare moment of wisdom and diplomatic clarity from President Ramaphosa." Pretoria also accused the Israeli embassy of failing to notify authorities of certain official visits, as is customary.
