Mandela's legacy hijacked: Christian groups slam NMF for anti-faith campaign
The Christian Leaders' Forum, South African Friends of Israel (SAFI), and the International Christian Embassy of Jerusalem are painfully dismayed by the latest attack against Christianity mounted by the Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF). Their latest campaign, dressed as the 'Solidarity in Action Awards', seeks to award applicants with proposals on ' creative, courageous, and effective initiatives geared towards challenging Christian Zionism.'
The organisations, among several other parties, are jointly calling for renewed respect for the constitutional right of South African Christians to freely express their religious convictions, particularly regarding support for Israel. This comes amid growing concern about what the groups describe as a troubling ideological drift within the Nelson Mandela Foundation, made clear by its blatant hostility towards Christian Zionism, as characterised by the Solidarity in Action Awards.
'It appears that the NMF has been hijacked by radicals with political agendas, and it is no coincidence that it has been steered in this horrific ideological direction following the recent appointment of Naledi Pandor as its chairperson', comments Bafana Modise, spokesperson at SAFI.
He adds that: 'Pandor has demonstrated profound hostility towards the State of Israel and is notoriously known to have friendly relations with Hamas, a designated terrorist group that has been actively pursuing genocide against the LGBTQ+ community, Christians, Israelis and Jews since its inception.'
Nelson Mandela explicitly recognised 'the legitimacy of Zionism as a Jewish nationalism' in 1993 and insisted on 'the right of the state of Israel to exist within secure borders'. He also, as President of our great country, received an honorary doctorate from one of Israel's prestigious universities that was bestowed upon him at the Three Arts theatre in Cape Town.
At this event, he underlined the importance of Israel's contribution to the world and stressed the need to come to a peaceful agreement with the Palestinian people whereby the two peoples could live side by side in peace.
'This is something we all pray for. Zionism is fundamentally supported by Christians, especially evangelicals, who constitute approximately 50% of South African Christians and share a deep understanding of Biblical Scripture that highlights God's everlasting covenant with Israel. We are beginning to see an alarming trend where respectable South African organisations are being indirectly hijacked by hostile foreign forces promoting an agenda which is harmful to the average South African,' adds Modise.
'Support for Israel and its right to exist, a reasonable position that serves as the foundation of Zionism, is rooted in biblical truth and genuine faith, far removed from the politicised falsehoods that distort or undermine it. The NMS's attempts to rebrand Zionism as colonialism or apartheid undermine and disrespect the religious beliefs of millions of South Africans,' comments Vivienne Myburgh, spokesperson for the ICEJ.
The organisations point to the growing silencing of Christian voices in public discourse surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 'Our concern is not only theological. It is also deeply humanitarian,' says Myburgh. 'In Sub-Saharan Africa, Christians face persecution from radical Islamists. In 2024 alone, approximately 4,476 Christians were murdered, with over 16 million displaced by attacks in Nigeria, Sudan, the Central African Republic, and other countries. These militant groups aim to eradicate Christianity similarly to Israel's enemies - through terror, destruction, and repression.'
Bizarrely, while Christian communities have halved in most Middle Eastern countries, the number of Christians in Israel has increased roughly fourfold. Many Christians in South Africa view Israel's security concerns as valid and urgent. Attacks from Iran-backed proxies, targeting Israel with missiles, terrorism, and hostility, pose existential threats.
'Rather than condemning terrorism, we've witnessed local political factions extending solidarity to the perpetrators. This is not the South Africa Mandela envisioned,' adds Myburgh. The ICEJ, SAFI, and Christian Leaders Forum urge the Foundation, once a global beacon of dialogue and reconciliation, to return to Mandela's principles of religious tolerance and bridge-building, not division.
They also stressed that Christian Zionism in South Africa should not be misrepresented or weaponised in public debates. 'Supporting Israel is not colonialism. It is a covenant,' said Pearl Kupe from the Christian Leaders Forum. 'To delegitimise that is to delegitimise the faith of millions of law-abiding, peace-loving South Africans.'
SAFI, the ICEJ, and the Christian Leaders Forum call on national leaders, religious institutions, and civil society to reaffirm South Africa's foundational commitment to freedom of belief, robust dialogue, and principled peace.
Daniel Johnson
Johannesburg
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IOL News
19 hours ago
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IOL News
4 days ago
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Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ This is how Israel's decades-long dehumanization of Palestinians works: demonize them, diminish their suffering until their deaths generate less outrage than the injury of a dog. I wrote recently about a viral story of a dog in Gaza whose plight drew more global sympathy than the Palestinian who saved it. 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The idea of presenting 'both sides' is meaningless when one side is using the platform to propagate lies. There is no balance between lies and truths. When a journalist is killed, their archives, contacts, and testimony are buried with them. When survivors are too afraid to speak, official lies become the only record. Israel understands this perfectly. It has turned the killing of journalists into a weapon of war, knowing that without witnesses, there is no record, and without documents, justice fails. Allowing Israel to normalize the killing of journalists is not only a betrayal of the truth. It is an intellectual rape of the supposed mission of journalism. The press cannot claim to be the guardians of free expression while accepting that a state may execute reporters and normalize the silencing of Palestinian journalists. The blood of Gaza's journalists is blood on the face of journalists everywhere. Targeting journalists is not just about silencing the present; it is about rewriting the narrative of the past and monopolizing the future. If there are no witnesses, there are no crimes. That is the darkness Israel is building; a darkness that will swallow not only Gaza, but the soul of humanity. * Jamal Kanj is the author of 'Children of Catastrophe,' Journey from a Palestinian Refugee Camp to America. This article was originally published at ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL, Independent Media or The African.
The Citizen
4 days ago
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