Duduzane Zuma has incurred the wrath of civil support groups in South Africa after speaking to Jewish Report about his views regarding the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
Duduzane Zuma told the publication that he was heavily influenced by the Hebrew community while growing up and spoke in glowing terms of is wife’s Jewish heritage. Duduzane also revealed that his son is being raised under Judaism.
He said, “By extension of his Jewish mother, I have Jewish family, and a beautiful Jewish son. I’m loving it. It’s something that I’m proud of, something that I’m inspired by. It’s going to be interesting and a learning curve from my side regarding his growth and development. I’ve always advocated for him to understand his Jewish roots.”
When he was asked for his honest opinion about Israel and Palestine, Duduzane Zuma took the opposite stance from the ANC when he advocated for the return of a South African embassy in Israel – which fundamentally disagrees with Ramaphosa’s position.
He said, “If anything, South Africa should have an embassy in Israel, and the ANC should take a completely different stance to what’s happening in that part of the world and engage with the issues. By virtue of pulling its ambassadorship away, South Africa has actually chosen a side, or at least seems to have chosen a side. We have a very good relationship with the Muslim community in South Africa, but we must rise above taking sides because as it stands – this is my view, I may be wrong – it looks like the government has chosen a side. So, South Africa’s role in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian issue has been made irrelevant by the decision to revoke the embassy.”
President Ramaphosa had called Israel an “apartheid-like state” earlier this year, and while Duduzane Zuma’s remarks came with restraint, it was enough to upset Africa4Palestine. The group did not sugarcoat their statement and branded Duduzane Zuma as a “disgrace” for disregarding the ANC’s resolution against Israel.
In their statement they said that, “We consider Duduzane Zuma’s recent utterances in support of Apartheid Israel utterly disgraceful. He has shown an utter disregard for the democratic expression of the ANC branches, regions, and provinces that ‘unanimously’ resolved to downgrade the SA Embassy in Israel at the ANC’s 54th National Conference. Furthermore he is at odds with the position of South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa, and the majority of South Africans who consider Israel an Apartheid State. We are concerned by Israel and its supporters like Duduzane.”
Sources: MSN
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