The ANC’s ties to terror-linked states displays South Africa’s troubling trajectory - opinion

Shortly after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, South Africa made headlines by escalating its legal battle against Israel at the International Court of Justice. Amid this legal offensive, another disturbing element began to unfold. The ANC [African National Congress political party], mired in financial difficulties, suddenly found itself with renewed resources, and a massive financial debt mysteriously was paid off. As the ANC’s financial outlook improved, some began to question whether its growing ties with extremist governments could be a factor.

The ANC has been perceived as a beacon of justice in the struggle against apartheid, with the legendary icons Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Oliver Tamboo, and other giants who sacrificed much for human rights and justice in the face of a brutal regime that was founded on racism that permeated all aspects of society.

I recall my own journey into the anti-apartheid movement, a commitment that began in 1986 as a young political science student at McGill University. In a political science course on South African society, I encountered a reality that influenced my life. Apartheid was not a closed chapter of history; it was a present, brutal system enforcing racial segregation and oppression, a hierarchy sustained by European colonialism and, disturbingly, Nazi-inspired ideologies.

The ANC’s vision

As a young Jewish student, it was nearly unthinkable to me that such doctrines, which had fueled the atrocities of the Holocaust, could still hold sway. I had assumed, perhaps naively, that the world had firmly rejected these ideals and that the horrific experience of my grandparents’ generation with the Holocaust was relegated to the dustbin of history. Learning of apartheid’s persistence was a call to action out of a deep sense of morality and ethics, foundational elements of my Jewish learning and heritage. I joined the international anti-apartheid movement, after immersing myself in the history of South Africa’s struggle for justice and aligning myself with its central figures and organizations, none more prominent than the ANC. The ANC’s vision – a democratic, inclusive South Africa where all would be equal citizens, regardless of race, gender, and religion – was inspiring.

Through my involvement, I worked and learned from individuals like Prof. Chengiah Rogers Ragaven, a South African activist forced into exile due to his work with the ANC. In 1987, he appointed me chairperson of the ANC Solidarity Committee of Canada, enabling me to work with student and labor groups to government and international bodies. My commitment led me to South Africa itself, where I bore witness to the country’s journey from apartheid to democracy. In cities, townships, and squatter camps, I met activists and ordinary citizens who worked tirelessly for a free, democratic South Africa.

Tragically, today the ANC has aligned itself with oppressive regimes and ideologies that contradict the very values it once embodied. The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy’s latest report sheds light on this shift, revealing the ANC’s deep alliances with Hamas, Iran, and Qatar. These are not just diplomatic gestures; these relationships have altered the ANC’s fundamental priorities, transforming South Africa into an emerging hub for terror financing. Through two memorandums with Hamas – in 2015 and 2018 – and multiple high-level meetings, the ANC has fortified its relationship with an organization known for acts of terrorism and its anti-democratic, sexist, and antisemitic ideology. Under the guise of humanitarian work, South African organizations have allegedly funneled support to Hamas, embedding the ANC in the global network of terror financing.

In addition, the ANC’s partnerships with Iran and Qatar, the overseers of its proxy Hamas, have enabled these regimes to exert influence within South Africa, extending into its economic and political fabric. South Africa’s facilitation of Iran’s entry into the BRICS alliance granted Iran new political leverage. Qatar, through significant investments in South Africa’s energy sector, has only deepened its foothold. As the ISGAP report shows, these relationships are part of a broader strategy that risks destabilizing South Africa and compromising international security.

The irony is profound and tragic. The ANC, once the world’s symbol of resistance against oppression, now supports a political propaganda narrative that views Israel as an apartheid, colonial state, while aligning with regimes that promote hate and extremism. For those of us who supported the ANC’s original cause, the alliance with Iran, Qatar, and Hamas is a bitter betrayal of the principles we once struggled for.

The ANC’s relationship with terror-linked states and their military proxies demands scrutiny. By bringing a case against Israel to The Hague and enabling financial networks that funnel resources to organizations like Hamas, the ANC has positioned South Africa as a link in the global web of terror financing. When the ANC accuses Israel of being an apartheid state, like Iran, Hamas, and other brutal terror-supporting entities and states, it calls for the elimination of the existence of Israel. What is even more pathetic is that the ANC is doing this in the aftermath of the October 7 pogrom, the most brutal massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, in which the ideology and policies of Hamas were transparent for all to witness with clarity. For the ANC leadership to align itself with Hamas especially now, for money, is repugnant and an insult to the people of South Africa.

The international community can no longer ignore South Africa’s troubling trajectory. The ANC’s shift marks a critical turning point. It is time for the world to re-evaluate South Africa’s global role and hold the ANC to the standards of justice and human rights that once defined its struggle. ■

Charles Asher Small is founder and executive director of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy.