Eskom's Koeberg nuclear power plant in the Western Cape. The proposed acquisition by Israeli energy company Navitas Petroleum of a major stake in offshore oil and gas exploration off South Africa's West Coast has exposed a contradiction that cannot be ignored, writes Iqbal Jassat.
The proposed acquisition by Israeli energy company Navitas Petroleum of a major stake in offshore oil and gas exploration off South Africa's West Coast has exposed a contradiction that cannot be ignored.
South Africa has earned international recognition for taking Israel before the International Court of Justice on allegations of genocide in Gaza. It has consistently presented itself as a defender of international law, accountability and human rights. Yet those principles appear increasingly difficult to reconcile with the prospect of granting strategic commercial opportunities to Israeli corporations operating in sectors of national importance.
Absent from much of the discussion is the broader question of policy consistency. If South Africa believes that Israel's conduct warrants legal scrutiny before the world's highest court, what framework governs commercial engagement with Israeli companies seeking access to South African natural resources? The silence surrounding this question reflects an uncomfortable gap between diplomatic rhetoric and economic practice.
