JOHANNESBURG (Dispatches) -- South African authorities are facing intensifying public pressure to sever all remaining ties with the Israeli regime and expel its diplomats, amid growing outrage over what activists have called a campaign of genocide by starvation in the Gaza Strip. 
More than 200,000 Palestinians have been killed or wounded during nearly two years of relentless Israeli aggression, with the entire population of Gaza now facing imminent famine under a near-total blockade.
Activists and civil society groups across South Africa have renewed calls for stronger action, accusing President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government of ignoring Parliament’s 2023 resolution to cut diplomatic ties with Israel. While South Africa has not had an ambassador in Tel Aviv since 2018, it has not yet taken formal steps to fully disengage from the Israeli regime.
“South Africa can’t be having normal relations with an abnormal, genocidal regime,” said author and activist Zukiswa Wanner. 
She said that many South Africans had hoped Pretoria’s move to bring a genocide case against Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) would help end the violence. 
“Almost two years later, Israel has not relented, and we continue seeing horror inflicted on the Palestinian people with full Western backing,” she said.
A new petition by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), demanding the closure of the Israeli embassy, has already gained thousands of signatures. “If South Africa has determined that genocide is being committed, how can we continue to maintain diplomatic and economic ties with the perpetrators?” the petition asks.
Meanwhile, grassroots campaigns like “Block the Boat – Durban” have mobilized hundreds of South Africans in protest against potential military-linked shipments bound for Israel. 
Activists flagged a vessel traveling via Durban from Chennai, India, believed to be carrying “dangerous goods.” While police inspections found no human rights violations, campaigners praised the swift response and vowed to continue monitoring ports.
Lubna Nadvi of the KwaZulu-Natal Palestine Solidarity Forum emphasized the broader importance of such actions. “We will continue our port watch, because our communities refuse to be complicit in genocide,” she said, noting that further protests are planned at Richards Bay Port.
Despite Israel’s efforts to suppress international accountability, South African activists remain committed to ensuring their government acts decisively against what many now openly call a genocidal regime.