The African Christian Democratic Party fully supports the recent fact-finding trip by Steve Swart MP and others to Israel. From the onset I would like to confirm that Mr Steve Swart obtained our permission to join the fact-finding mission consisting of some MPs and religious leaders, to Israel.
We note the objections and condemnations of some individuals who have forgotten that the late Former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, used to say nobody should choose friends for us except ourselves. Unlike other Political Parties and organisations such as Hamas that are calling for annihilation of Israel, the ACDP believes that all human beings have the right to live including Jews in general and Israel in particular. The ACDP will never allow the haters of Israel to attempt to choose friends for us and deny us the right to visit the Holy Land.
The ACDP was one of the first political parties to condemn the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023; and demanded the immediate release of the hostages. We are on record for supporting Israel’s right to defend itself and its citizens. We also opposed the South African government’s court application against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), believing that Israel does not have the required legal intent to commit genocide in Gaza. The former President of the ICJ, Judge Joan Donoghue, has subsequently confirmed that the court did not find a plausible case of genocide against Israel.
We also believe that the R95 million already spent on the case as well as the further R37 million budgeted for this case, could and should be spent on more pressing needs in South Africa, such as providing proper service delivery and fighting rampant crime in our communities and making our country safer.
The ACDP has also refuted the false narrative that Israel is an apartheid country, particularly by those of us who, like myself, were victims of apartheid and have travelled to Israel many times. We share the sentiment expressed by members of this delegation who found no evidence of apartheid.
We thus reject the African National Congress’s (ANC) condemnation of this trip. The ANC has no right to condemn Christian believers who made up this delegation from visiting the Holy Land and holy sites. We encourage all South Africans, especially church leaders such as the religious leaders who accompanied this delegation, to travel to the Holy Land both as pilgrims to visit the holy sites, and in order to find out for themselves what happened during the October 7 massacre by Hamas and the impact it had on Israeli citizens.
Additionally, if the ANC had any regard for the violations of human rights, it would condemn the horrendous acts of unspeakable cruelty committed by the terrorist organisation Hamas on 7 October and use its influence with Hamas to facilitate a ceasefire and the release of the remaining hostages.
The delegates visited the devastated sites of Kibbutz Aza and the Nova Music Festival, where survivors of the October 7 massacre provided harrowing accounts of what happened and the trauma from which they are still recovering.
In this regard, United Nations’ experts Alice Jill Edwards and Morris Tidball-Binz, have called for full accountability for the multitude of alleged crimes committed against civilians in Israel by Hamas in the 7 October attacks. The allegations include grave violations of international law, including killings, hostage-taking, and torture, including sexual torture. Across 22 villages approximately 1,200 Israeli and foreign nationals were killed. Thousands more were injured. An estimated 240 adults, children and infants were taken hostage. “The growing body of evidence about reported sexual violence is particularly harrowing,” the experts said. Yet the ANC has conveniently forgotten about these atrocities but condemns Israel at every opportunity.
The delegates also engaged in high-level discussions with Israeli President, Isaac Herzog, and senior foreign ministry officials, and visited communities in Bethlehem, Judea and Samaria.
The ANC’s condemnation of this trip will further heighten tensions with the United States, a staunch ally of Israel, in the same week when trade tariffs were announced on South African products. The ANC is seen by many in the US as siding with Iran (and its proxy Hamas) with the party recently hosting the Ambassador of Iran, Mr Mansour Mehr, while seeking to break off all diplomatic ties with Israel. These developments will no doubt be considered in a negative light by US lawmakers following the tabling of a new Bill in the US Congress — the US-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act of 2025 — aimed at reassessing the US-SA relationship.
The ACDP is also not unsympathetic to the plight of innocent Gazans and has expressed its deep sadness at the loss of innocent lives both in Israel and Gaza. We will continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for a lasting ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, for the return of the remaining hostages (both those living and dead), and for the peaceful co-existence of Israelis and Palestinians.
Lastly, we would like to wish the Jewish community in South Africa, in Israel and globally a very Happy Passover – Chag Pesach Sameach!
