An Afrocentric exploration of Jacob Zuma's anti Apartheid stance: The question of Israeli–Palestinian struggle

• Date: 01 May 2020
• Author: Makhura Benjamin Rapanyane
• Published date: 01 May 2020
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2017

ACADEMIC PAPER

An Afrocentric exploration of Jacob Zuma's anti Apartheid

stance: The question of Israeli–Palestinian struggle

Makhura Benjamin Rapanyane

School of Social Sciences, University of

Limpopo, Sovenga, South Africa

Correspondence

Makhura B. Rapanyane, School of Social

Sciences, University of Limpopo, Sovenga,

South Africa.

Email: makhurabenjamin2@gmail.com

In this article, the author utilizes interdisciplinary critical discourse analysis to analyse

the state of South Africa–Israel relations under the Zuma-led African National Con-

gress (ANC). The author ground roots this article on Afrocentricity as the alternative

theoretical framework to identify the position of the ANC in relation to the unfolding

events in Israel and broadly analyse this position in order to make sense of it. This is

done within the context of the Zuma-led ANC in order to tease out major contradic-

tions, which characterizes the administration of Zuma's stance on attested Apartheid

Israel. The central question engaged with in this article is to determine whether politi-

cal and ideological counterstatements to those the ANC communicated, by some of

the opposition political parties such as African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP),

had any major implications on South Africa's foreign policy on the Apartheid Israel. In

this article, the author argues extensively that Zuma's foreign policy on Israel can best

be understood when located into his entire term as president of South Africa and the

NASREC resolution of 2017.

1|INTRODUCTION

This article aims to employ Afrocentricity as the alternative theoretical

lens to analyse the position of Zuma's government in the context of

its interrelation with Apartheid Israel. The option of choosing this the-

ory in this article stems from the fact that most of the academic schol-

arly discourse in this subject have been discussed using North [ern]

Angled perspectives. These tendencies have actualized uniform under-

standing of the entire subject (Mashele, 2016). The year 2009 was uti-

lized as a starting year because the author deemed the year as a

period that has ushered Jacob Zuma's inauguration as South Africa's

president. This article will end its analysis in 2018 as this year served

the end point of Zuma's presidency. The author deemed the time

period between 2009 and 2018 as highly important as it will ensure a

comprehensive unpacking of a deep critical understanding of Zuma's

stance on Apartheid Israel. This period will also ensure that the author

understands the positions of the opposition political parties on the

Israel–Palestinian issue.

The evolving public discourse on this subject is too much polar-

ized. This should be understood within the context that the available

information on this subject is erratic and self-contradictory. The latter

is made clear by Sooliman (2014) who expounds that policies which

proposed that the South African government address the concern

regarding South Africans serving in the Israel Defence Force (IDF),

adopt the Boycott, Disinvestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaign in its

totality, “campaign for Israel to be suspended from the SWIFT banking

network”and adopt the 2009 HSRC report. These are the same poli-

cies that found Israel guilty of apartheid, and Sooliman (2014) argues

that they were softened by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on

International Relations and Cooperation after intensive lobbying by

the South African Jewry, South African Zionist Federation (SAZF), and

certain political parties. Similarly, Raphael (2013) alludes that although

democratic South Africa has been supportive of the Palestinians, mili-

tary trade with Israel is in decline, but security and surveillance sys-

tems trade has increased. This assertion should be understood within

the explanation given by Jordaan (2008) who observed that

South Africa's continued economic links with Israel raises doubts

about the state's ability to be more than a “barking dog”especially

considering Israel's historical relationship with apartheid and contin-

ued links with South Africa.

Jordaan's (2008) observation is highlighted because of the doubts

that shaped Zuma's policy on Israel. Raphael (2013) contends that

Received: 27 July 2019 Revised: 23 August 2019 Accepted: 2 September 2019

DOI: 10.1002/pa.2017

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https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2017