EXPOSED: President Cyril Ramaphosa's meeting with Perez family exposes government hypocrisy on IDF service
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to meet the family of the late Captain Daniel Perez,a South African-born citizen who served illegally in the Israeli Defence Force, and the South African government’s active role in facilitating the repatriation of his remains, is an act of profound hypocrisy that must be condemned without reservation.
It is a betrayal of the law, a betrayal of South Africa’s stated solidarity with the Palestinian people, and a betrayal of the very principles the government claims to uphold when it speaks of justice and opposition to genocide.
Daniel Perez was a South African citizen. He was born in Johannesburg, raised in Glenhazel, and later moved with his family to Israel. He served as a tank commander and platoon commander in the IDF’s 7th Armoured Brigade. Wherever he served, that service was illegal under South African law. There is no ambiguity here.
Section 198(b) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa is explicit: the resolve to live in peace and harmony precludes any South African citizen from participating in armed conflict, nationally or internationally, except as provided for in the Constitution or national legislation. The Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act and the framework administered by the National Conventional Arms Control Committee require prior authorisation before any citizen may render foreign military assistance.
