South Africa has expelled Israel’s top diplomat in the country for “violating diplomatic norms”, including making “insulting remarks” against South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Ariel Seidman, chargé d’affaires at the Israeli embassy, has been declared persona non grata and given 72 hours to leave the country, South Africa’s foreign ministry says.
He has been accused of using official social media platforms to attack Ramaphosa and inviting Israeli officials to South Africa without permission.
Relations between the two countries have been frosty since South Africa accused Israel of genocide against Palestinians at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), a charge Israel has rejected.
The BBC has contacted the Israeli embassy in Pretoria for comment.
Israel does not currently have an ambassador in the country.
Announcing Seidman’s expulsion, South Africa’s foreign affairs ministry said his actions “represent a gross abuse of diplomatic privilege”.
Seidman was appointed chargé d’affaires at Israel’s embassy in South Africa last year and his role also extends to the neighbouring countries of Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius and Namibia.
Since then his close ties with Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, a controversial South African king who is also Nelson Mandela’s nephew, have come in for criticism from Ramaphosa’s government.
Dalindyebo visited Israel in December – and met high-ranking officials, without the knowledge of the South African government. On his return home, an Israeli delegation visited the monarch’s home province of the Eastern Cape with the promise of aid.
Israeli officials recently posted videos and images on X of their trip, which they said was to discuss “concrete assistance in water, health and agriculture”.
South Africa has several recognised monarchs representing different ethnic groups and clans, but they have no formal political power.
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