Is South Africa no longer safe for Jews? - comment

A week after South Africa took Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on charges of genocide, Howard Sackstein, who chairs the SA Jewish Report, a weekly newspaper printed in Johannesburg, sparked an intense debate in the country’s small Jewish community by publishing an op-ed titled “Is it time to leave?”

“For Jews, this country no longer feels like a safe space or ‘home,’” Sackstein writes. “The government has been captured by radical Islamists and their sympathisers. We have normalised Jew-hatred and justified massacres. Our country has lost its soul, and it’s time for our community to start a real and honest discussion about its future.”

Among other things, Sackstein argues that the South African government’s conduct since October 7 has been “nothing short of betrayal.” He points to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s failure to condemn the massacre, even blaming Israel for the attack at a press conference, and then feting a visiting Hamas delegation in South Africa’s Parliament in December.

Discharging David Teeger as cricket captain 

The final straw, he says, was the discharging of David Teeger as captain of the national Under-19 cricket team on the eve of the Cricket World Cup, hosted by South Africa. “By even Cricket SA’s own account, Teeger did nothing wrong, but his presence as a Jew and Zionist as captain of the junior Proteas became untenable for it in case it would become a flashpoint for violent pro-Palestinian protests,” he writes.

Teeger had made headlines on October 22 when after being named Rising Star at the ABSA Jewish Achiever Awards, he dedicated his award to IDF soldiers fighting Hamas.

“Yes, I’m now the Rising Star, but the true rising stars are the young soldiers in Israel,” he declared, a remark that drew a slew of complaints from anti-Israel groups.

Following Teeger’s demotion, the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (the umbrella leadership body for the country’s estimated 50,000 Jews) wrote to Greg Barclay, chair of the International Cricket Council (ICC), saying that “CSA [Cricket South Africa] categorically failed to provide any credible evidence that there had been any real security threats to the upcoming tournament due to David Teeger being captain of the SA team.”

Hundreds of protesters gathered at CSA’s Johannesburg headquarters, holding signs that read “Reinstate Captain Teeger,” “Stop Racism in Sport,” and “No Place for Antisemitism.” 

Ali Bacher, the legendary Jewish cricketer who oversaw South African cricket’s return to the global arena after apartheid ended, voiced his “concern and dismay” while asking CSA for “a comprehensive explanation of the decision-making process” that led to Teeger’s dismissal as captain.

US antisemitism envoy Deborah Lipstadt branded the move antisemitic, writing on X: “When a Jew outside of Israel is held responsible for Israel’s policies, this is antisemitism.”

Then, in the opening game of the tournament, on January 19, South Africa – now captained by Juan James – faced West Indies at Senwes Park in Potchefstroom. The official report on the game said Teeger’s 44 runs had led his team to a 31-run victory after a shaky start. “It meant David Teeger had to play the role of an anchor to ensure the young Proteas remained in the fight,” according to icc-cricket.com.

On January 26, the day on which the ICJ ruled on South Africa’s case against Israel, the Israeli national airline El Al announced that it would stop its Johannesburg route on April 1. “Israelis don’t want to fly to South Africa,” an El Al spokesperson explained.

“It’s a sign,” my late father, Hilly Linde, a talented Jewish South African sportsman, might have said. In a short story he wrote titled “Dis ‘n teken” (“It’s a sign” in Afrikaans), he observed that the thing about signs is that you need to read them.