Naledi Pandor contniues to receive threats, 'they never stopped'

In February 2024, in the midst of South Africa's case against Israel at ICJ, Pandor's security was beefed up amid threats.
As Israel and Iran continue to trade blows, South Africa's former International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor and her family continue to receive threats.
An insider close to the family told The Citizen that the threats against Pandor and her family have not ceased since South Africa brought Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for genocide committed against Palestinians in Gaza.
'Threats'
'No, they never stopped. The threats are ongoing and you shouldn't get to close [to us] because you become a target,' the insider told The Citizen at a function in Gauteng.
The insider did not want to disclose more information, fearing that the threats would escalate.
'We don't want our security compromised.'
Friends of Naledi Pandor were all eliminated by Israel last night. pic.twitter.com/oJxkijbZG6
June 13, 2025
ICJ case
In February 2024, in the midst of South Africa's case against Israel at the ICJ, Pandor's security was beefed up amid threats against her and her family.
South Africa approached the World Court seeking several orders, including for Israel to immediately suspend its Gaza offensive; to stop forced displacement; to enable humanitarian access to thousands of displaced Palestinians; and to preserve evidence.
In its judgment, the ICJ ordered Israel to take 'all measures within its power' to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza.
ALSO READ: Israeli forces seize Gaza-bound Madleen with aid and Greta Thunberg [VIDEO]
Security beefed up
Following President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address (Sona) on 8 February 2024, Pandor told journalists that she believed the threats were related to the ICJ case.
The minister did not disclose who the threats were from, but confirmed that then-Police Minister Bheki Cele had to strengthen her security detail.
'I spoke to Minister Cele because of the various messages I was getting, and I felt it would be better if we had extra security. What I am more concerned about is my family because in some of the social media messages, my children are mentioned and so on.'
Gaza
Pandor said, despite the personal cost of taking on Israel, South Africa will see the ICJ matter through.
'This is part of the course, the Israeli agents' intelligence services are how they behave, and they seek to intimidate you. So, we must not be intimidated; there is a course that is underway. The people of the world and of Palestine didn't draw back when the apartheid state was at its worst.
'They stood with the liberation movement, so we can't stand back now, we must be with them, and I think one of the things we must not allow is a failure of courage. It's extremely important we continue with this, we talk to the South African people and they understand why it is that we have taken up this moral course,' Pandor said.
ALSO READ: SA calls for urgent probe after 32 Palestinians killed while waiting for food
Israel and Iran
Meanwhile, Pretoria has expressed profound concern regarding the attacks conducted by Israel on targets within Iran on Friday, including reported impacts on military areas, nuclear facilities, and civilian infrastructure.
'Reports of civilian casualties, alongside military personnel, are deeply troubling,' the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said.
'These actions raise serious concerns under international law, including the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the protection of civilians enshrined in the UN Charter and international humanitarian law'.
Nuclear safety
Phiri added that South Africa has taken note with particular concern of the implications for nuclear safety and security arising from attacks in the vicinity of nuclear facilities.
'We recall the firm stance of the IAEA General Conference, reflected in resolutions such as GC(XXIX)/RES/444 and GC(XXXIV)/RES/533, against armed attacks on peaceful nuclear installations as violations of the UN Charter and international law.
'South Africa extends its sincere condolences to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the families of all victims,' Phiri said.
'Peaceful resolutions'
Phiri reiterated Pretoria's 'unwavering commitment' to the peaceful resolution of disputes.
'South Africa urges maximum restraint by all parties and calls for the urgent intensification of diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions and promote stability in the Middle East.
'We support ongoing bilateral discussions, such as those between the USA and Iran, and reaffirm the critical importance of establishing a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in the Middle East,' Phiri said.
In February this year, South Africa's Head of Public Diplomacy Clayson Monyela dismissed claims of any cooperation with Iran on nuclear energy.
The claims of nuclear cooperation between South Africa and Iran were levelled by US President Donald Trump's administration in an executive order on 7 February 2025.
ALSO READ: Israel accused of starving Gaza 'by design' — South Africa addresses ICJ

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Eyewitness News

4 hours ago

• Eyewitness News

Supreme Court allows US victim suits against Palestinian authorities

WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES - The US Supreme Court cleared the way on Friday for American victims of attacks in Israel and the occupied West Bank to sue Palestinian authorities for damages in US courts. The court issued a unanimous 9-0 decision in a long-running case involving the jurisdiction of US federal courts to hear lawsuits against the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Americans killed or injured in attacks in Israel or the West Bank or their relatives have filed a number of suits seeking damages. In one 2015 case, a jury awarded $655 million in damages and interest to US victims of attacks which took place in the early 2000s. Appeals courts had dismissed the suits on jurisdiction grounds. Congress passed a law in 2019 -- the Promoting Security and Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act (PSJVTA) -- that would make the PLO and PA subject to US jurisdiction if they were found to have made payments to the relatives of persons who killed or injured Americans. Two lower courts ruled that the 2019 law was a violation of the due process rights of the Palestinian authorities under the US Constitution but the Supreme Court ruled on Friday to uphold it. "The PSJVTA reasonably ties the assertion of federal jurisdiction over the PLO and PA to conduct that involves the United States and implicates sensitive foreign policy matters within the prerogative of the political branches," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote. The PA announced in February that it would end its system of payments to the families of those killed by Israel or held in Israeli prisons, responding to a long-standing request from Washington. In 2018, during his first term as US president, Donald Trump signed into law rules suspending financial assistance to the PA as long as it continued to pay benefits to Palestinians linked to "terrorist" entities, according to the criteria of the Israeli authorities.

IOL News

11 hours ago

• IOL News

Fuel price pain as missiles fly

While missiles fly thousands of kilometres away, the effects of a deepening conflict between Israel and Iran are beginning to reach South African shores - not through politics or security, but through rising prices at the pump and pressure on already-stretched household budgets. A surge in global oil prices, triggered by military strikes on strategic energy assets and growing fears of supply disruption, is stoking inflation concerns that could ripple through the economy and stall any hopes of interest rate relief. The bombardment of Iranian military targets by Isreal erupted over a week ago as airstrikes targeted Iranian military infrastructure, including pivotal oil and gas facilities such as the South Pars gas field and the Shahr Rey oil refinery, provoking retaliatory missile attacks by Iran on major Israeli cities. This has raised alarm bells among market watchers, particularly given Iran's critical role as the third-largest oil producer within the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC+), contributing around four million barrels of crude oil per day and controlling access to the vital Strait of Hormuz. The Strait of Hormuz is a crucial maritime chokepoint through which approximately 18–19 million barrels per day or 20% of global oil shipments pass, making any potential disruption a considerable concern for worldwide oil supply. Despite Iran maintaining crude exports at 2.2 million barrels per day amid the conflict, rising shipping costs and delays due to the potential blockade of this strategic waterway could influence inflation across the globe. Nolan Wapenaar, co-chief investment officer at Anchor Capital, on Friday said the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would have far-reaching consequences for South Africa's economy. Wapenaar said this would obviously be a major blockage in the supply of oil to the rest of the globe. 'This could drastically impact the availability of oil and one would expect significantly higher prices. The clear impact in South Africa is higher inflation and quite potentially rising interest rates again,' Wapenaar said. 'The impact of a major supply shock to oil will be more pronounced and detrimental to South Africa. We would expect pressure on the terms of trade from rising oil prices, the South African rand could well weaken, exacerbating inflation pressures beyond just the impact of oil prices and supply.' According to the OPEC+, the global oil demand growth forecast for 2025 remains at 1.3 million barrels per day. The eight OPEC+ countries, which previously announced additional voluntary adjustments, have agreed to start a gradual and flexible return of the 2.2 million barrels per day by implementing a production adjustment of 411 000 barrels per day in July 2025 in view of a steady global economic outlook and current healthy market fundamentals. Analysts warn that the conflict has the potential to reshape power relations within the Middle East and influence OPECʼs internal dynamics as Iran's role as a major oil producer and its strategic position in the Gulf give it considerable leverage. Bianca Botes, director at Citadel Global, said the Strait of Hormuzʼs strategic importance cannot be overstated. 'Any disruption – whether due to military action, electronic interference affecting navigation systems, or blockades – could severely constrain global oil supply. Recent incidents, such as the collision and fire involving two oil tankers near the strait, have heightened these concerns,' Botes said. 'While OPEC members possess some excess production capacity that could theoretically offset Iranian supply losses, the risk of a prolonged or expanded conflict introduces significant uncertainty. 'Analysts warn that oil prices could spike to $100/barrel or even $120/barrel if supply through the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted. Such a price shock would reverberate through global markets, impacting inflation, consumer costs, and economic growth worldwide.' South Africa consumes around 530 000 barrels of oil per day, or more than 25 million litres of petroleum products each year, facilitated by imports and its three operational refiners. Petrol and diesel are the most important petroleum products, accounting for more than 85% of consumption. While the country refines imported crude oil, a portion of its fuel supply also comes from synthetic fuels produced from coal and natural gas. The increase in the fuel price would come as consumers are already battling with the high cost of living after the finance minister hiked the General Fuel Levy (GFL) by 16 cents per litre for petrol and 15 cents per litre for diesel — the first increase in three years — on the back of inflationary pressures. The price of Brent crude oil traded around $77 (around R1 390) per barrel on Friday, heading for a third consecutive weekly gain as escalating hostilities in the Middle East continued to fuel fears of regional supply disruptions. However, Investec chief economist Annabel Bishop allayed fears of any fuel supply shortages but said the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would raise shipping costs, impacting inflation and also increase shipping delays. 'South Africa mainly gets oil from Africa and Saudi Arabia (which is expected to stay out of the conflict) so the supply is not expected to be interrupted,' Bishop said. 'We are less impacted as we get our oil supply from Africa not the middle east and are food secure. We would be impacted on price not supply as all oil is priced off Brent crude.' Rising oil prices have immediate and far-reaching consequences. Higher crude costs translate into increased transportation and manufacturing expenses, feeding into broader inflationary pressures. This dynamic can slow economic activity by reducing consumer purchasing power and increasing production costs. Inflation in South Africa has held steady at 2.8%, paving the way for potential interest rate cuts though several factors may yet cause the Reserve Bank to adopt a more hawkish stance. Everest Wealth CEO, Thys van Zyl, said rising tensions in the Middle East and discussions about lowering South Africa's inflation target band were two key concerns that could temper expectations of further rate cuts. 'This conflict could quickly filter through to fuel prices and transport inflation – and that will narrow the room for rate cuts,' Van Zyl said. 'Although food inflation rose sharply in May due to the impact of foot-and-mouth disease on beef prices, transport inflation was the only category with negative growth thanks to the past year's decline in fuel prices – which helped keep overall inflation low.' BUSINESS REPORT

IOL News

16 hours ago

• IOL News

Preah Vihear: A reflection of colonial legacies

This handout photo from the Royal Thai Government taken and released on June 11, 2025 shows Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra (C) with government officials during a visit to Kap Choeng District in Surin Province near the border with Cambodia. Thailand and Cambodia on June 8 reached an agreement to reposition their troops in a disputed border area where a Cambodian soldier was killed last month in a military clash, both sides announced. On the 28th of May, a routine border patrol between Thailand and Cambodia turned deadly. The exchange of fire near the sacred Preah Vihear temple, lasting ten minutes, may seem like just another regional skirmish. However, in reality, the situation represents a far more complex dynamic, one that collides nationalism, memory, colonial borders, and contested sovereignty that continues to unravel communities across the Global South; particularly formerly colonised nations. While Cambodia asserts defence and Thailand claims trespass, the crucial question transcends politics: how much longer will the people of this region pay the price for borders never drawn to serve them? The temple at the heart of this conflict is no ordinary site. Preah Vihear, a 9th-12th century Khmer Empire dedication to Shiva, a prominent god in Hinduism, boasting architecture so exceptional it arguably surpasses even Angkor Wat. Perched atop the Dângrêk Mountains, its panoramic views were meant to symbolise a profound spiritual link between heaven and earth. Yet, since the 20th century, this sacred meaning has been perversely politicised, caught between aggressive narratives of national pride. Despite the International Court of Justice (ICJ) unequivocally ruling in 1962 that the temple belongs to Cambodia, and again in 2013 reaffirming Cambodian sovereignty over the surrounding land, many in Thailand reject these decisions. This persistent defiance, despite formal legal proceedings, ensures the region remains a zone of friction revealing how unresolved history and nationalist sentiment can ignite violence with alarming ease. This conflict isn't an isolated incident; it's just one of countless scars from arbitrary colonial map-making. Across the global south, from the family-disrupting borders of Lesotho and South Africa to the volatile lines in Kashmir between India and Pakistan, and between Rwanda and the DRC; we see nations grappling with inherited disputes that blur the sacred and the sovereign. Even in the 20th century, a highly televised and symbolic example was the Berlin Wall and its collapse in 1989. The Berlin Wall's fall was a historic moment, exposing how these man-made, imperial divisions continue to fracture societies, divide families, disrupt trade, stifle cultural expression, and transform places of unity into battlegrounds. As Thai and Cambodian commanders negotiate ceasefires, a profound question lingers, what if this entire region could be shared and celebrated, rather than eternally contested? The recent clash is also linked to Thailand's internal political tensions. The return of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, now facing charges under strict lese-majesté and Computer Crime Acts for alleged remarks deemed insulting towards the monarchy, has intensified political polarisation. This may explain the rise in nationalist rhetoric, and the incident's timing appears suspiciously convenient for factions seeking to deflect attention or consolidate influence. When colonial empires carved up the global south, often with no understanding of local languages, cultures, or histories they created borders for their benefit to extend power and control. Communities that once shared land, language, and lineage were suddenly split apart. The Preah Vihear temple is just one among thousands of sites now weaponised by states clinging to boundaries they never chose, but were forced to inherit. And now, as Thailand and Cambodia slash each other's visa-free entry periods to just seven days- from 60 days for Thais and 30 for Cambodians (by land)- a move that affects traders, workers, students, and families, who suffers most? Not the politicians, rather the general population who may regularly cross these artificial lines for numerous reasons whether it be the pursuit of love, food, work, or exploration. What's happening in Southeast Asia is part of a global pattern. Currently in Los Angeles, migrant communities are protesting against intensified immigration enforcement and deportation raids carried out by ICE. The very same America that brands itself the 'land of immigrants' is now criminalising the very people it once relied on to build its economy, culture, and strength. A characteristic extremely emphasised widespread globally. Children are being separated from their parents, workers are denied fair wages, and people are deported to countries they haven't seen since infancy or at all. A global wave of nationalism and anti-immigrant sentiment is gripping the world, fueled by a manipulated fear of 'the other', cultural dilution, and loss of societal standing. This fear is turning into hate with devastating consequences. We're witnessing the rise of narrow, inward-looking ideologies that dangerously ignore the historical truth: nations have always been built by movement and exchange. Migrants are not burdens; they are the teachers, nurses, vendors, and scholars who sustain our cities. This surge in nationalist policies and border restrictions isn't a sign of strength, but of profound insecurity. It reveals a need to confront colonial legacies and an unwillingness to envision an inclusive future. It offers only the illusion of safety through walls, papers, and passports. What occurred at Preah Vihear is merely a symptom of a deeper, more widespread issue. Unless we confront this underlying problem, history will tragically repeat itself, bringing more borders, more bullets, and more broken families. By: Banthati Sekwala Associate at BRICS+ Consulting Group Egyptian & South African Specialist **The Views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Independent Media or IOL. ** MORE ARTICLES ON OUR WEBSITE ** Follow @brics_daily on X/Twitter & @brics_daily on Instagram for daily BRICS+ updates