South Africa presents its arguments against Israel at the ICJ over human rights violations
Image: UN Photo/ICJ-CIJ/Frank van Beek
South Africa is taking to the international stage on Tuesday, presenting its case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague, challenging Israel's aggression and genocide in the Palestinian territories.
South Africa's government has accused Israel of violating international law through its ongoing occupation of Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem and Gaza, where the Israeli forces have allegedly killed more than 52,000 people.
The country alleged that Israel's settlement expansion, restrictions on movement, and military operations amount to violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.
Central to South Africa's argument is the claim that Israel's actions amount to a form of apartheid—systematic segregation and discrimination—reminiscent of South Africa's history of institutionalised racial segregation.
South Africa is calling for the ICJ to hold Israel accountable, demanding an end to what it describes as illegal occupation and urging the international community to enforce measures that uphold Palestinian sovereignty and human rights.
South Africa's Arguments and Diplomatic Stance
In its presentation earlier on Tuesday, the South African delegation emphasised the importance of international law in safeguarding human dignity.
They cited numerous UN resolutions condemning settlement activities and military actions deemed disproportionate or punitive.
South Africa also highlighted the suffering of Palestinian civilians—including children, women, and the elderly—caught in the crossfire, with reports of destruction of homes, restricted access to essentials, and ongoing violence.
South Africa's government has continuously reiterated its stance that the Israeli government must be held accountable for actions that violate international norms.
They called for an immediate halt to settlement expansion, unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza, and renewed efforts for a peaceful resolution based on a two-state solution.
International Condemnation and the Global Response
Numerous international organisations have strongly condemned South Africa's legal challenge.
The United Nations has issued multiple statements condemning Israeli policies.
The UN Human Rights Council's recent March report described Israeli settlement expansion as 'a violation of international law and an obstacle to peace,' calling on Israel to cease such activities immediately.
'The ongoing destruction of Palestinian homes and the displacement of families constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law,' UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk stated.
The Arab League and several African nations have vocally supported South Africa's stance, with the Arab League fully rallying behind the country's efforts to restore peace in Gaza.
'Israel's actions in Palestinian territories constitute a blatant violation of international norms and human rights. We stand with South Africa in seeking justice.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The South African
5 hours ago
- The South African
I want a three-way with Putin and Zelensky, says Trump on pending meeting
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was planning a second meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin soon after Friday's Alaska summit – this time with Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky included. Trump is due to sit down with Putin in Anchorage on Friday, the first meeting between the Russian leader and a sitting US president since 2021. 'If the first one goes okay, we'll have a quick second one,' he told reporters. 'I would like to do it almost immediately, and we'll have a quick second meeting between president Putin and president Zelensky and myself, if they'd like to have me there.' The high-stakes talks come with Trump seeking to broker an end to Russia's nearly three-and-a-half year war in Ukraine, and Zelensky and his European allies have urged the Republican to push for a ceasefire. A stepped-up Russian offensive, and the fact Zelensky has not been invited to the Anchorage meeting Friday, have heightened fears that Trump and Putin could strike a deal that forces painful concessions on Ukraine. Trump said Russia would face 'very severe consequences' if Putin did not agree to end the war after Friday's meeting, without elaborating. The US leader promised dozens of times during his 2024 election campaign to end the war on his first day in office but has made scant progress towards brokering a peace deal. He threatened 'secondary sanctions' on Russia's trading partners over its invasion of Ukraine but his deadline for action came and went last week with no action announced. Trump told reporters he'd had a 'very good call' with European leaders including Zelensky as he took questions from reporters at an arts event at Washington's Kennedy Center. 'I would rate it at 10. You know – very, very friendly,' he said. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news. © Agence France-Presse
IOL News
6 hours ago
- IOL News
Online and unafraid: LGBTQIA+ Africans push back against colonial-era hate
In numerous African countries, including Ghana (above) and Zimbabwe, colonial-era anti-homosexuality laws continue to do great harm to LGBTQIA+ communities. In a push against these inherited laws and attitudes, queer Africans are utilising social media as a tool to foster greater acceptance. Image: Carl Collison Golden Moyo* is a lay preacher in rural Zimbabwe. In 2018, after decades of hiding his sexual orientation, Moyo came out to his family and friends and his parish as gay. Attitudes to sexual and gender minorities in Zimbabwe are highly conservative. Those found guilty of consensual same-sex sexual activity could face up to one years imprisonment and a fine. The southern African country's anti-homosexuality law was first introduced by the British during its colonisation of Zimbabwe. According to Human Dignity Trust, the country has noted 'consistent reports of discrimination and violence being committed against LGBTQIA+ people in recent years, including assault, sexual violence, harassment, blackmail, and the denial of basic rights and services'. Moyo's decision has not been without consequence. News of his sexuality soon 'went viral… (with) people deliberating upon it', he says. There was also a protest at the church's headquarters. Says Moyo: 'They were saying things like this is against our culture. This is against our religion. This is against our laws…They say it is strange. It is not part of us and did not originate from our own people. (That) it's a Western thing. When the noise started, (with) people protesting, you really need people who stand up to say, 'No, this thing is not Western'. It's our own thing. It has always been in our midst.' For Moyo, as with an increasing number of LGBTQIA+ persons across the country, social media is an essential tool in a continued push for a break from the narrative that homosexuality - and queerness, more broadly - is a Western import. Moyo's social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X (formerly, Twitter) has a combined following of just under 10 000 people. He also uses Clubhouse 'for the (weekly) LGBTQIA+ fellowship'. Moyo says he first realised the power of social media during the Covid-19 pandemic. 'We could not gather as Christians, so we used to worship via social media. I realised that this is a thing that can quickly spread the message to others…I thought of it as a way that my voice can also be heard.' Tanatswa Gumbo, communications officer for the country's largest queer rights organisation, Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe, says LGBTQIA+ people 'definitely have become more visible on social media'. Image: Supplied Tanatswa Gumbo, communications officer for the country's largest queer rights organisation, Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ), says LGBTQIA+ people 'definitely have become more visible on social media'. 'LGBTQIA+ persons, particularly activists, have really been visible and have really become more outspoken in terms of challenging conservative attitudes towards LGBTQIA+ people. Especially the claims of homosexuality being un-African; not being Christian,' says Gumbo. Research conducted by Princess Sibanda and Gibson Ncube found that, for queer Zimbabweans, online 'spaces represent a powerful act of resistance, a way for queer Zimbabweans to claim their right to exist and express themselves…. It's like they're sending love letters to the world, saying that queer love is just as important and beautiful as any other kind of love.' Zimbabwe is, of course, only one of numerous African states to have inherited homophobic laws and attitudes as a result of colonisation. The end of colonial rule has, however, seen some countries (such as Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya and Namibia) place added restrictions on the rights of LGBTQIA+ persons. Ghana is one such country. The West African state inherited its first anti-homosexuality law during British rule. Section 104 of the country's Criminal Code of 1960 - seen largely as 'an after-effect of the colonial era' - carries with it a sentence of up to three years' imprisonment for men found guilty of consensual same-sex relations. Ghana's latest anti-LGBT law, the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill (commonly known as the Anti-LGBT Bill), is particularly draconian and has been described as 'brutal, harsh, and unjust'. In 2021, Angel Maxine, Ghana's only openly transgender musician and queer rights activist, penned a song, titled Kill the Bill, in protest against the Anti-LGBT Bill. In addition to using her music as a tool for awareness-raising, Maxine also relies heavily on social media to try and effect change. 'If social media was available…during the colonial days, I'm sure a lot of people would have been educated by now, and we would (not be in) this era that we are in,' Maxine says, in reference to the increasing queerphobic rhetoric sweeping across the continent. 'Because even though some of us are on social media, we are still living in our colonial days; still carrying the colonial thinking. But there are also people who are using social media who have broken free from this colonialism. In Africa, we have made use of social media positively to educate people.' Maxine is now living in Berlin, having fled Ghana as a result of persecution based on her gender identity and her queer rights activism. The distance from her home country makes her rely on social media even more. 'Sometimes when the grounds become very hard and difficult for us to meet in person, social media is where we can meet. I am currently in Germany, but I'm communicating with people in Ghana through social media.' Alex Kofi Donkor, the executive director of LGBT Rights Ghana, says LGBTQIA+ Ghanaians are creating social media content that challenges the narrative that queerness is a Western import. Image: Supplied Alex Kofi Donkor is the founder and executive director of LGBT Rights Ghana. 'I would say most of the mobilisation and most of the engagement at the initial stages (of establishing LGBT Rights Ghana)] was through social media. Even as of now, most of the mobilisation is done via various social media platforms,' says Donkor. Aside from activists utilising social media for policy and attitude reforms, there are also individual members of Ghana's LGBTQIA+ communities who, Donkor says, are 'putting content out there that challenges the status quo and challenges so many thoughts that Ghanaians have around LGBTQIA+ issues…that it's a Western import'. As could be expected, given the repressive contexts in which this content is created, there are downsides to proudly sharing pro-LGBTQIA+ content. A recent example of this was when a queer South African undertook the social media campaign, #ShowGhanaLove. Ostensibly meant as a show of solidarity with queer Ghanaians, the campaign had the opposite effect, as anti-queer politicians used the resultant public outrage to add pressure on the Ghanaian government to expedite the passing of the Anti-LGBT Bill. Says Donkor: 'People tend to react quickly when (LGBTQIA+ content) is openly or obviously put out there. People tend to react in a very negative way.' Ghanaian human rights activist, Angel Maxine, sees social media as an integral tool in raising awareness. Image: Eemmax Experience
The Citizen
7 hours ago
- The Citizen
Zuma and MK party file urgent court bid to challenge Ramaphosa's Mchunu decision
The application by Zuma and the MK party comes after their recent loss in the Constitutional Court. Former president Jacob Zuma and the MK party have not given up the fight and have lodged an urgent application against President Cyril Ramaphosa in the High Court in Pretoria. The application by Zuma and the MK party comes after their recent loss in the Constitutional Court. What Zuma wants In the notice of motion, Zuma and his party want the high court to declare Ramaphosa's decision to place Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu on special leave. They also want the appointment of Wits law Professor Feroz Cachalia as acting police minister and the establishment of a commission of inquiry to be declared invalid, null and void and unconstitutional and set aside. ConCourt ruling The ConCourt on 31 July 2025 ruled that the application does not engage the court's jurisdiction and refused direct access to the MK party and Zuma in its matter against Ramaphosa. Ramaphosa's lawyer Kate Hofmeyr argued that cases that can exclusively be decided by the Constitutional Court are very limited. 'This matter does not fall within this court's exclusive jurisdiction. Very few matters do, and this is not one of them. 'Any allegation that the power was exercised unlawfully falls under our constitutional scheme to the High Court and the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) to consider first. Additionally, there is no pressing need for this court, on 10 days' notice, to decide the issues in this matter as a court of first and last instance,' Hofmeyr said. This basically means that Zuma and the MK party had to approach the high court first, which they have now done. ALSO READ: Zuma and MK party case should've started in High Court, ConCourt hears [VIDEOS] The court ruling was handed down two hours after it hosted a special ceremonial sitting for retiring Acting Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, whom Ramaphosa appointed to chair a commission to probe explosive allegations by KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) top cop Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanzi of criminal infiltration in the South African justice system. Constitutional matter In his founding affidavit to the high court, Zuma said he is bringing the application in his personal capacity, but because the application is urgent and in the 'interest of justice' he is also deposing the papers on behalf of the MK party. 'The twin purposes of this application are to re-assert the merits of the application which were left unadjudicated by the Constitutional Court on account of its findings on exclusive jurisdiction and direct access; and to raise new grounds of illegality and irrationality based on events which arose post the 30 July 2025 hearing in the Constitutional Court,' Zuma argues. Zuma said that the present application is indisputably a constitutional matter. Section 169(1)(a) of the Constitution provides that the High Court of South Africa may decide any constitutional matter except a matter that the Constitutional Court has agreed to hear by way of direct access or is assigned by legislation to another court of a status similar to the High Court. 'This is such a matter because the Constitutional Court, rightly or in my view wrongly, declined to grant direct access. That decision must be respected as a fact until or unless it is set aside,' Zuma said. ALSO READ: Zuma and MK party accuse ConCourt of ignoring 'most serious' violations by Ramaphosa Urgency In his papers, Zuma argues that in his Constitutional Court application, Ramaphosa did not contest the urgency, exclusive jurisdiction, and/or direct access. 'The president sought and was allowed to opportunistically hide behind those technicalities to escape much-needed judicial accountability for the unjustifiable multiple breaches of the rule of law. There are no more hiding places. 'The serious and unprecedented revelations of alleged criminality made by Lieutenant-General Mkhwanazi, as another highly qualified whistleblower, in the tradition of former Intelligence Chief Arthur Fraser, can no longer be ignored or swept under the carpet at the request of the president,' Zuma argued. Zuma explains that the urgency of the application is 'clearly not self-created, and it can never be reasonably asserted that relief may be obtained in due course.' 'The impugned commission has already commenced and continues to operate at huge cost to the taxpayer. In the (unlikely) event of its delivering a final report in six months' time, the matter would still not have been heard in due course.' Cachalia Zuma also argues that Cachalia has since assumed office and will be 'making decisions which affect the security of the people of South Africa' while Mchunu 'who has been illegally placed on leave of absence by the president continues to earn a salary and enjoy other expensive privileges such as bodyguards, drivers, free ministerial accommodation, air travel domestic workers and the like.' 'It is trite that the matter involves very serious and unprecedented allegations of executive and judicial capture which, if true, constitute a threat to the very democracy prevailing in South Africa. 'It is impossible to imagine a greater catastrophe than that which would transpire if the allegations are true and the matter is not heard as one of the utmost urgency. In relation to the question of urgency, the merits must be regarded as true and proven,' Zuma argues. Senzo Mchunu Zuma also argues that there is 'no express legal provision which empowers Ramaphosa to place a minister on leave of absence. 'The respondents can therefore only rely on an implied power which is said to flow from the power to dismiss. 'It will be argued that the decision does not pass the reasonable necessity test because the power to dismiss in section 91(2) must not be confused with the power to dismiss an employee,' he said. 'Financial benefit' Zuma said the appointment of Cachalia is 'totally incoherent' and false explanations given by Ramaphosa in 'respect of this decision owe to the fact that it is rooted in improper motives and bad faith'. 'Its purpose if to grant undue financial benefits to Minister Mchunu at the expense of the taxpayer and to shield him from accountability and well-deserved dismissal or removal from the Cabinet. 'In explaining this appointment, the president has performed both somersaults and backflips in a series of incompatible volte face manoeuvres, all pointing to sheer irrationality,' Zuma argued. In his papers, Zuma argued that following the swearing in of the acting police minister, both Ramaphosa and Cachalia gave media interviews, with differing accounts of his official title and status. Questions to Ramaphosa Zuma's attorneys sent a letter to Ramaphosa on 4 August 2025, posing 15 unanswered questions regarding his actions and justifications. Zuma said Ramaphosa's response was 'inadequate'. 'Given the public importance of the issues and the imminence of the 1 August date for the assumption of office by Professor Cachalia, the matter cries out for direct access.' ALSO READ: Zuma demands Ramaphosa resign by Friday, or else… Madlanga Commission Zuma also argues that there is no legal provision which is capable of endowing the president with the power to confer upon the Madlanga Commission the powers which are reserved to the Judicial Service and/or Magistrates' Commissions, to investigate allegations of misconduct on the part of members of the judiciary. 'There are specific and well-accepted policy reasons why such powers are exclusively reserved for the bodies referred to above. These include the preservation of the independence, dignity and effectiveness of the judiciary.' The matter is expected to heard on 26 August 2025. ALSO READ: Madlanga inquiry: How much probe into Mkhwanazi's allegations will cost
