South Africa Expels Israeli Chargé d'Affaires Over Social Media Attacks on Ramaphosa, 'Violation of Diplomatic Norms'
PRETORIA, 30 January 2026. South Africa declared Israeli Chargé d'Affaires Ariel Seidman persona non grata on Thursday, ordering him to leave the country within 72 hours after he published social media posts the government characterised as insulting attacks on President Cyril Ramaphosa and after...
South Africa Expels Israeli Chargé d'Affaires Over Social Media Attacks on Ramaphosa, 'Violation of Diplomatic Norms'
PRETORIA, 30 January 2026. South Africa declared Israeli Chargé d'Affaires Ariel Seidman persona non grata on Thursday, ordering him to leave the country within 72 hours after he published social media posts the government characterised as insulting attacks on President Cyril Ramaphosa and after what Pretoria called a "deliberate failure" by the Israeli mission to inform South African authorities of visits by senior Israeli officials.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation said in a statement that the expulsion followed "a series of unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practice which pose a direct threat to South Africa's sovereignty." Seidman had been serving as the most senior Israeli diplomatic representative physically present in South Africa, holding ambassador-level authority as chargé d'affaires in the absence of a formally accredited resident ambassador.
Israel responded by declaring South Africa's senior diplomat in Tel Aviv, Shaun Edward Byneveldt, persona non grata, giving him the same 72-hour deadline to leave Israeli territory. Jerusalem indicated it would consider further measures.
The expulsion represented a sharp escalation in South Africa's already fraught relationship with Israel. South Africa brought a genocide case against Israel before the International Court of Justice in December 2023 and has maintained its case through subsequent proceedings. Pretoria severed high-level diplomatic contact in stages following the outbreak of the Gaza conflict, and the Israeli Embassy has operated without a resident ambassador for an extended period. South Africa's own ambassador to Israel had similarly been withdrawn for consultations.
The move risked fresh tension with Washington. South Africa's relations with the administration of United States President Donald Trump had already been strained by South Africa's ICJ proceedings against Israel, an American ally, and by earlier disputes over South Africa's exclusion from G20 preparatory meetings. Bloomberg reported that the expulsion risked "US ire."
The two dissenters against Seidman's continued presence cited his conduct as incompatible with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which requires diplomats to refrain from interference in the internal affairs of the host country.
South Africa and Israel established diplomatic relations in 1994. Their relationship has been progressively downgraded since the beginning of the Gaza conflict in October 2023.