South Africa has ordered the Israeli Chargé d’Affaires, Ariel Seidman, to leave the country within 72 hours, declaring him persona non grata over what the government described as serious and repeated breaches of diplomatic standards.
In a statement released by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), the South African government said the decision was taken after a pattern of behavior it considers unacceptable and a direct threat to the country’s sovereignty. The government confirmed that Israel had been formally notified of the move, which it described as a firm step to protect national dignity and authority.
According to DIRCO, the decision followed multiple violations of diplomatic norms that eroded trust and disrupted established protocols governing relations between the two countries. The department accused the Israeli diplomat of conduct that went beyond acceptable diplomatic practice.
Among the issues cited were repeated attacks on President Cyril Ramaphosa through official Israeli social media platforms, which South Africa described as insulting and inappropriate. DIRCO also pointed to what it called a deliberate failure by the diplomat to notify the ministry about alleged visits by senior Israeli officials to the country.
The department said these actions amounted to a serious misuse of diplomatic privileges and a clear violation of the Vienna Convention, the international framework that regulates diplomatic relations. It added that such conduct had steadily weakened the trust required for healthy bilateral engagement.
Reiterating its position, DIRCO stressed that South Africa’s sovereignty and the dignity of its public offices must be respected at all times. As a result, Seidman was instructed to depart the country within 72 hours of receiving the notice.
The government also called on Israel to ensure that its future diplomatic representatives strictly observe international rules and show respect for South Africa and global diplomatic norms.
Although Israel has yet to issue an official response, the move represents a sharp escalation in tensions between Pretoria and Tel Aviv, particularly against the backdrop of South Africa’s increasingly critical stance on Israel’s actions in the Middle East.
Relations between the two countries have been strained for some time. In November 2025, the Israeli embassy appeared to mock President Ramaphosa by describing his comment that “boycott politics doesn’t work” as a “rare moment of wisdom and diplomatic clarity.” Ramaphosa made the remark while responding to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to boycott the G20 summit in Johannesburg, saying the absence would not affect the meeting.
Ties further deteriorated after South Africa filed a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice over the war in Gaza. In 2023, South African lawmakers voted in favor of shutting down the Israeli embassy in Pretoria and suspending diplomatic relations, although those resolutions were never fully implemented.