Dialogue without damage

Last week, the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) called for the Constitutional Court to assume the patronage of the National Dialogue, an initiative intended to shape the future of our nation through inclusive and accountable discourse. This call stems from our commitment to ensuring that all South Africans, including our Jewish community, are meaningfully included in this vital conversation.

The current administration, under President Cyril Ramaphosa, has regrettably attempted to sideline our community. We have been excluded from interfaith initiatives, and our voices have often been silenced in public discourse. Most distressingly, South African citizens in Israel, including members of our community, were abandoned by the government, and left without consular support during times of crisis. Such actions suggest a troubling prioritisation of political alignments over the protection of the rights of South African citizens.

The National Dialogue is an important initiative to debate the future of our country. The SAJBD doesn’t oppose the National Dialogue itself. On the contrary, as a community rooted in the values of dialogue, justice, and mutual respect, we believe in its potential to foster unity. The National Dialogue’s briefing document outlines the values of inclusivity and accountability as core principles. However, for it to succeed, its leadership must reflect the principles it claims to champion. Ramaphosa’s actions, including his appointment of Dr Imtiaz Sooliman as part of the dialogue’s eminent persons group, cast doubt on his suitability as patron.

Sooliman’s selection as an eminent person is a key issue. In fact, Sooliman has become somewhat of the face of the dialogue. He has expressed open hatred of Zionists, with rhetoric that has, at times, clearly crossed into antisemitism. Sooliman’s public statements, often cloaked in the term “Zionist”, frequently employ antisemitic tropes, including conspiracies about Jewish control through wealth and influence. Research from the Kaplan Centre at the University of Cape Town indicates that 96% of South African Jews have a connection to Israel. An attack on Zionism in this context is, unequivocally, an attack on our community’s identity.

Sooliman is also quoted in a video bragging “I don’t follow international law or human law. I don’t need any permission from anybody in the world to tell me what to do. I break the laws all the time.” His brazen pride in making such a statement, while being so closely linked to the president and law-enforcement officials, project an alarming sense of impunity. This disrespect is especially worrisome in South Africa, which is so in need of the rule of law.

We, the Jewish community, as a proud South African minority, will continue to engage the greater South African society. It is our responsibility to ensure that the best interests of the country and its people are maintained, and that the government and its policies are upheld to the ideals of the Constitution.

In this light, Gabi Farber Cohen, the Board’s youth and political liaison, made a presentation to the Public Mobilisation Subcommittee (PMSC) of the National Dialogue. The SAJBD was given the opportunity to make the submission to the PMSC as part of religious-sector stakeholders participating in the National Dialogue.

Farber Cohen’s presentation calls for the National Dialogue to prioritise social cohesion, inclusive participation, and most importantly, respect for diversity. Further, we proposed that mechanisms and processes should be put in place to ensure that no discrimination or hate takes place as the National Dialogue unfolds.