Israeli's were here to help where government fails, says King

AbaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo believes the expulsion of a top Israeli diplomat by the South African government was an attempt to stop the donation the Israeli government had promised the people of the Eastern Cape.

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) on Friday gave Ariel Seidman, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Israeli Embassy, 72 hours to pack and leave the country.

The move also comes after Dalindyebo sparked controversy on Tuesday by taking Israel Embassy officials to visit the public hospitals in the Eastern Cape without the government’s knowledge.

Through his spokesperson, Ntando Dalindyebo, who is also his daughter, the king said Seidman’s expulsion was to stop the Israeli government from assisting the nationals of AbaThembu with development, which the government failed to provide.

She said the king developed a relationship with the Israeli government after Mthatha was hit by floods in May last year.

She said that when Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry senior official David Saranga, whom she referred to as an ambassador, came to South Africa, he was told about the severe flooding. 

After witnessing the devastation, Saranga donated R180 000 to the soup kitchen run by Ntando’s mother. 

Ntando said Saranga also promised to assist in developing water infrastructure, as the king informed him of the town's water crisis.

“Our relationship with the Israeli Embassy is the one that we hold very close to our heart, as they have managed to help our people in a way that the South African government has not been able to do.

“When they dismiss the ambassador, it becomes difficult for us not to see this as a personal attack on the kingdom.

“If they said he violated the protocol, why are they dismissing him now when Israel is in the process of bringing us water?” said Ntando. 

She said the king did not see the need to consult the government about Saranga’s visit.

She said some government officials and traditional leaders warned him about accepting donations from Israel, which was committing genocide against the people of Palestine.

“But my father saw it as unfair to say ‘no’ to a donation that could help people in their time of need.  Then we welcomed the ambassador,” she said.

DIRCO said as a sovereign state, South Africa’s dignity is inviolable, adding that Seidman’s actions represented a gross abuse of diplomatic privilege and a fundamental breach of the Vienna Convention. 

“These violations include the repeated use of official Israeli social media platforms to launch insulting attacks against His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa, and a deliberate failure to inform DIRCO of purported visits by senior Israeli officials,” read DIRCO’s statement.

“They have systematically undermined the trust and protocols essential for bilateral relations.  South Africa’s sovereignty and the dignity of its offices are inviolable.”

International relations expert Advocate Sipho Mantula said: “Israel has been lamenting South Africa’s case at the ICJ. To come up with an allegation of insult and assault (on Ramaphosa), they (South African government) might have conducted an investigation and reached a decision to expel Seidman.” 

Cape Times