Local politician accuses rivals of turning South Africa into a ‘Zionist’ state

A politician in South Africa has accused rival politicians of trying to turn part of South Africa into a ‘Zionist’ state by supporting Israel.

In a debate after the country’s State Of The Nation speech from President Cyril Ramphosa, South African Member of Parliament Ahmed Munzoor Shaik Emam accused the moderate opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, of handing Cape Town to „Zionists,” reports The Jewish Chronicle.

Addressing the South African parliament, Emam said: „We have political parties in this house that are trying to justify the massacre and the genocide that’s taking place in Palestine, particularly right now in Rafah.”

The MP, who was wearing a traditional keffiyeh showing the territory of Israel labelled Palestine, said he wanted to „give a loud and clear message to the Democratic Alliance”.

„If you think that the people of this country are going to allow you and take this beautiful country, city of Cape Town of ours, and hand it over to the Zionists, the city of Cape Town will be a blood bath, I can assure you that we will not allow you to take this and sell it, and sell your principles, your ethics and values like you have just pawned the land in the Western Cape to the United States and others.”

„We will not allow you to make this a Jewish state.”

The Democratic Alliance has governed the Western Cape region of the country since the 2009 regional South African elections.

Emam is one of two National Freedom Party members of the National Assembly of South Africa and serves as the political group’s parliamentary leader.

South Africa took Israel to the International Court of Justice, filing a genocide lawsuit against the country. The IJC ruled that Israel is not committing genocide but noted that the country needs to make sure to prevent future genocide in relation to the war in Gaza.