The South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) slammed the South African government for allotting 37 million South African Rands (about $2 million) to its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in a statement issued on Tuesday.
According to local media reports, the South African Treasury has allocated the sum to the case, bringing the total funds issued for this purpose to R130 million (over $7 million).
The Jerusalem Post has reached out to the South African Treasury for a response.
The federation criticized what it termed an “appalling misuse of taxpayer funds” for the case.
“At a time when South Africa is in the grip of an economic and social crisis—unemployment at a catastrophic 35% (60% among youth), a collapsing healthcare system, load-shedding that has crippled the economy, and 2.3 million households without proper housing—this reckless waste is indefensible,” the statement read.
With regard to the ICJ ruling, the statement noted the court’s “preliminary ruling did not determine that South Africa’s claim of genocide was plausible.”
The federation further noted that the government “deliberately misrepresented this ruling as a victory, using it to justify its ongoing legal assault on Israel while ignoring the reality that Hamas are the true perpetrators of genocide—responsible for the October 7 massacre against Israel.”
The federation noted the South African government had allocated R95 million in 2024 for similar purposes.
South Africa’s case against Israel
In December 2023, South Africa opened legal proceedings against Israel, alleging the country had violated its obligations under the Genocide Convention.
In January 2024, the court ruled that the Palestinians had a plausible right to protection and that South Africa had the right to submit its claim to the court.
The court issued provisional measures against the Jewish State.
In October 2024, South Africa submitted a Memorial to the ICJ claiming Israel had violated the Genocide Convention by promoting the destruction of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
This article was originally published at www.jpost.com
