Statement from Dr Mamphela Ramphele for the Archbishop Tutu IP Trust
Difficult as it is, given unequal power relations, South Africa must not be cowed into silence by US President Trump’s assault on its moral and constitutional integrity.
South Africa must use all appropriate diplomatic and legal channels at its disposal, including the urgent submission of more paperwork to the International Court of Justice, to condemn, and contribute to stopping, Israel’s blockade of the basic necessities of life to Gaza, which global experts this week described as at critical risk of famine.
The Guardian newspaper in the UK quoted aid workers in Gaza saying humanitarian teams treating malnourished children were being forced to divide rations designed for one between two patients to give both a chance of survival.
Even in the context of the horror of Israel’s genocidal actions in Gaza that the world has witnessed on its television screens for the past nineteen months, the starvation strategy stands out as particularly un-human and wildly at odds with the values of both Jews and Muslims (and all other faith groups that I am aware of).
These are human values, many of which make their way to become part of international law – and underscore our global inter-dependence as human beings.
There is a duty on all member countries of the United Nations, including South Africa and the United States, to stop Israel’s starvation strategy. The duty is imposed by Resolution 2417 (2018) of the UN Security Council – which was unanimously adopted.
In a statement on the day that the resolution was adopted, the UN quoted a member of the US Mission to the UN, Elaine Marie French, stating that the body had demanded that parties to conflict comply with their obligations under international law, and had laid out clear expectations that those parties refrain from impeding humanitarian assistance. “We have shown here today that we have the will to address conflict‑related hunger,” she said.
If the US had the will to address conflict-related hunger, Gaza would not be at critical risk of famine.
South Africa is presently under unprecedented economic pressure from the US which many interpret as a lever intended to erode South Africa integrity as an advocate for equal justice. At the same time, granting refugee status to Afrikaners on the basis of an imaginary genocide, enables the US Administration to achieve the political objective of being seen to be deporting people of colour while welcoming Whites.
The people of South Africa and the US have more in common than their country’s policies and politicians do. Human values have evolved over time, while politicians come and go…
Ends…
* Dr Mamphela Ramphele is the Chairperson of the Archbishop Tutu IP Trust.
** Distributed on 14 May 2025 for the Archbishop Tutu IP Trust on 27 March 2025 by Oryx Media (Benny Gool 082 5566 556 / Roger Friedman 079 8966 899).
