South Africa’s government says it has logged formal violations by Israel after what it described as a series of public affronts against President Cyril Ramaphosa and failures in diplomatic protocol.
In a government statement released Tuesday, officials said the violations include the repeated use of official Israeli social media platforms to launch “insulting attacks” against Ramaphosa and a “deliberate failure” to inform the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) of purported visits by senior Israeli officials.
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The statement did not elaborate beyond those two cited breaches, but framed them as part of a broader pattern of conduct that South African authorities consider unacceptable in diplomatic relations.
Key allegations listed by the government:
- Repeated use of official Israeli social media platforms to publish insulting attacks directed at President Cyril Ramaphosa.
- Deliberate failure to notify DIRCO of reported visits by senior Israeli officials.
The wording in the statement links the social media activity directly to official Israeli channels and singles out lapses in notification about high-level visits. DIRCO is South Africa’s foreign affairs department and is responsible for managing diplomatic engagement and protocol.
Observers say public accusations between governments — especially those that cite state-controlled or official social media accounts — carry a risk of escalating diplomatic tensions. The government’s use of the term “deliberate failure” underscores that it views the omissions as intentional rather than inadvertent.
The South African government did not in the statement set out specific next steps or penalties, nor did it provide detailed evidence in the release. It also did not identify which Israeli platforms or which Israeli officials were involved.
South Africa and Israel have a complex diplomatic history; when governments exchange formal public accusations, foreign ministries typically follow with protests, requests for clarification, or reciprocal steps. It was not clear from the single government statement whether DIRCO had already lodged a formal protest or planned other measures.
This developing dispute centers on the intersection of digital diplomacy, public rhetoric and procedural norms governing official visits — areas that increasingly shape relations between states in the age of social media.
Further details were not included in the government release. Additional reporting is needed to confirm the platforms and visits referenced and to clarify what, if any, diplomatic responses will follow.
By News-room
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
