{"id":97747,"date":"2025-05-17T10:47:06","date_gmt":"2025-05-17T08:47:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/?p=97747"},"modified":"2025-05-17T10:47:06","modified_gmt":"2025-05-17T08:47:06","slug":"south-african-government-urged-to-confront-israels-starvation-tactics-in-gaza","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/south-african-government-urged-to-confront-israels-starvation-tactics-in-gaza\/","title":{"rendered":"South African Government Urged to Confront Israel\u2019s Starvation Tactics in Gaza"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za<\/a>
\n3-minute read
\n17 May 2025 | 10:45 CAT<\/p>\n

\"\"

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<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u2019s policies.<\/p>\n

Speaking on behalf of the Archbishop Tutu Intellectual Property Trust, Dr Ramphele described Israel\u2019s alleged starvation strategy as \u201ca crime against humanity of indescribable dimensions,\u201d highlighting its devastating impact on children, women, and civilians. \u201cStarvation is the worst, the most inhuman punishment you can visit upon a people,\u201d she said in an interview with Radio Islam International<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lauding South Africa’s recent legal action against Israel at the International Court of Justice, Dr Ramphele emphasised that further action is essential. \u201cI am very proud of what the South African government did\u2026 but there is more to be done,\u201d she asserted, stressing the responsibility of citizens to speak out against injustice. \u201cIt is not because evil people do bad things\u2026 it is when good people like you and I are quiet that evil takes root,\u201d she warned.<\/p>\n

Dr Ramphele challenged the moral contradictions in Israel\u2019s actions. \u201cThe 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,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

With President Cyril Ramaphosa set to meet international leaders, Dr Ramphele expressed cautious optimism about South Africa\u2019s capacity to act as a global moral compass. \u201cIf our president keeps his focus on the values of our constitution\u2026 he is in a very strong position to rise above the inanities of power-hungry leaders and become a global statesman,\u201d she remarked.<\/p>\n

She criticised the lack of assertiveness from global institutions like the United Nations and called on its leadership to take a stronger stance. \u201cThe Secretary General of the U.N.\u2026 is too quiet for the world that is going through this turmoil,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Commenting on the recent arrest of pro-Palestinian supporters at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, including a 16-year-old, for wearing \u201cRed Card Israel\u201d shirts, Dr Ramphele questioned the response. \u201cWho is going to be the adult in the room? People have a right to take whatever position as long as they don\u2019t violate the rights of others,\u201d she stated, urging law enforcement to uphold human rights.<\/p>\n

Dr Ramphele\u2019s message is clear: South Africa must continue to lead with conscience and courage.<\/p>\n

Listen<\/strong> to the full interview on Sabaahul Muslim with Sulaimaan Ravat and Dr Mamphela Ramphele here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za 3-minute read 17 May 2025 | 10:45 CAT 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\u2019s policies. Speaking on behalf of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":97748,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[28,4995,4998],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-97747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-south-africa","category-ummah"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/2024-03-05T133707Z_621318490_RC29W5A90YHG_RTRMADP_3_ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-GAZA-AID-1024x699-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C699&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0QIf-pqz","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-23 01:08:30","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97747"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97747\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}