Hassen Lorgat argues that Johannesburg’s service-delivery crisis should not be used to dismiss South Africa’s solidarity with Palestinians, while challenging Kenneth Kgwadi’s framing of local and international politics as separate issues.
The recent article by Kenneth Kgwadi on IOL makes a seemingly reasonable argument: that Johannesburg's next mayor must focus on local service delivery rather than foreign conflicts. On the surface, this appears to be a plea for practical governance—fixing roads, ensuring water and sanitation, creating jobs, and restoring public trust.
But a closer examination reveals a hidden agenda. The subtext of this argument is not simply about potholes and municipal finances. It is a fundamental critique against those who support and demand justice for Palestine—a people still experiencing genocide, even after a so-called ceasefire agreed upon a year ago.
Kgwadi is identified as a research fellow at the Middle East Africa Research Institute (MEARI). What the article conveniently omits is that MEARI's leadership has deep, undisclosed ties to the South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) and the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD).
MEARI was formed on April 18, 2024, with Benji Shulman as its executive director. In 2019, Shulman was honoured by the SAZF as a "prime defender and promoter" of Israel. The institute's co-founder, Joshua Schewitz, joined the SAZF Cape Council in 2026. These affiliations are nowhere to be found on the MEARI website, which presents itself as a neutral research platform.
