Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za
3-minute read
17 May 2025 | 10:45 CAT

FILE PHOTO: Palestinian children wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen amid shortages of food supplies, as the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas continues, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, February 5, 2024. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/File Photo

As famine tightens its grip on Gaza and international pressure mounts on South Africa, veteran activist and former World Bank Vice-President, Dr Mamphela Ramphele, has urged the government to take decisive diplomatic and legal action against Israel’s policies.

Speaking on behalf of the Archbishop Tutu Intellectual Property Trust, Dr Ramphele described Israel’s alleged starvation strategy as “a crime against humanity of indescribable dimensions,” highlighting its devastating impact on children, women, and civilians. “Starvation is the worst, the most inhuman punishment you can visit upon a people,” she said in an interview with Radio Islam International.

Lauding South Africa’s recent legal action against Israel at the International Court of Justice, Dr Ramphele emphasised that further action is essential. “I am very proud of what the South African government did… but there is more to be done,” she asserted, stressing the responsibility of citizens to speak out against injustice. “It is not because evil people do bad things… it is when good people like you and I are quiet that evil takes root,” she warned.

Dr Ramphele challenged the moral contradictions in Israel’s actions. “The very same people who claim that heritage of having survived genocide are now the perpetrators of the worst form of genocide directed at innocent people,” she said.

With President Cyril Ramaphosa set to meet international leaders, Dr Ramphele expressed cautious optimism about South Africa’s capacity to act as a global moral compass. “If our president keeps his focus on the values of our constitution… he is in a very strong position to rise above the inanities of power-hungry leaders and become a global statesman,” she remarked.

She criticised the lack of assertiveness from global institutions like the United Nations and called on its leadership to take a stronger stance. “The Secretary General of the U.N.… is too quiet for the world that is going through this turmoil,” she added.

Commenting on the recent arrest of pro-Palestinian supporters at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, including a 16-year-old, for wearing “Red Card Israel” shirts, Dr Ramphele questioned the response. “Who is going to be the adult in the room? People have a right to take whatever position as long as they don’t violate the rights of others,” she stated, urging law enforcement to uphold human rights.

Dr Ramphele’s message is clear: South Africa must continue to lead with conscience and courage.

Listen to the full interview on Sabaahul Muslim with Sulaimaan Ravat and Dr Mamphela Ramphele here.