South Africa has declared Israel’s Chargé d’Affaires, Mr. Ariel Seidman, persona non grata, giving him 72 hours to leave the country following what the government described as serious breaches of diplomatic protocol.
In a statement released by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) on Thursday, the South African government said it had formally notified the Israeli government of the decision, calling it a “decisive measure” to protect the nation’s sovereignty.
The decision, which was publicly issued on Friday, reportedly followed “a series of unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practice that directly challenge South Africa’s sovereignty.”
DIRCO accused the Israeli diplomat of actions that undermined established diplomatic protocols and bilateral trust, including the repeated use of official Israeli social media accounts to issue insulting remarks against President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The department also highlighted “a deliberate failure to notify DIRCO of purported visits by senior Israeli officials,” describing these actions as “a gross abuse of diplomatic privilege and a fundamental breach of the Vienna Convention,” the international treaty governing diplomatic relations.
“The conduct has systematically eroded the trust and protocols essential for bilateral relations,” DIRCO said, reaffirming that “South Africa’s sovereignty and the dignity of its offices are inviolable.”
Consequently, Mr. Seidman has been ordered to depart South Africa within 72 hours. The government further urged Israel to ensure that its diplomatic representatives comply with international norms in future engagements.
“We call on the Israeli government to ensure that its future diplomatic conduct respects the Republic and adheres to established principles of international engagement,” the statement added.
Israel has not yet responded publicly to the move, which represents a significant escalation in diplomatic tensions between Pretoria and Tel Aviv, especially amid South Africa’s increasingly critical stance on Israel’s actions in the Middle East.
Tensions between the two countries have been ongoing. In November 2025, the Israeli embassy appeared to mock President Ramaphosa by calling his comment that “Boycott politics doesn’t work” a “rare moment of wisdom and diplomatic clarity.” Ramaphosa made the remark while responding to US President Donald Trump’s decision to skip the G20 summit in Johannesburg.
Relations have also been strained since South Africa filed a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice over its actions in Gaza. In 2023, South African lawmakers voted to close the Israeli embassy in Pretoria and suspend diplomatic ties over the Gaza conflict, though the measures were never implemented.
