Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has publicly challenged the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) to discipline its high-profile member, AbaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, over his participation in what the government describes as an Israeli-funded campaign aimed at discrediting South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The controversy erupted after King Dalindyebo returned from a fully sponsored trip to Israel in late November 2025, during which he met senior Israeli officials and visited sites affected by the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack.
Upon his return, the king featured in a slick social-media advertisement – widely shared by accounts linked to the Israeli government – in which he claimed President Cyril Ramaphosa had “decided on behalf of 60 million South Africans without consulting us” before lodging the ICJ case. In the video, recorded in isiXhosa with English subtitles, Dalindyebo declared that “the people of South Africa do not support the government’s actions against Israel.”
Speaking at a post-Cabinet media briefing on Wednesday, Minister Ntshavheni labelled the campaign “misinformation driven mainly from the United States and amplified locally by AfriForum, Solidarity and now King Dalindyebo.”
“The EFF needs to explain its stance because this is their king and their member,” Ntshavheni said, pointing out that Dalindyebo formally joined the EFF in 2023 after leaving the Democratic Alliance and was gifted a luxury Mercedes-Benz GLE by party leader Julius Malema.
The minister dismissed suggestions that the government required a referendum on foreign-policy decisions: “When South Africans vote for a party, they vote for its known positions. That is why, in this Government of National Unity, we even issued a statement of intent on the matter.”
The EFF has sought to distance itself from the king’s statements. Party spokesperson Sinawo Thambo said on Thursday: “King Dalindyebo expressed his views in his capacity as a traditional leader. The EFF’s position on Palestine remains firm – we fully support the ICJ case and condemn Israeli apartheid and the ongoing genocide in Gaza.”
Dalindyebo has a history of shifting political allegiances, having previously been a member of the ANC and later the DA, and has faced multiple criminal convictions, including a 2015 sentence for arson, assault and kidnapping (he was released on parole in 2019).
He is the latest in a string of South African political figures who have travelled to Israel on similar trips and returned criticising Pretoria’s pro-Palestine stance, among them Patriotic Alliance leader Gayton McKenzie and deputies, ACDP leader Kenneth Meshoe, and Build One South Africa’s Mmusi Maimane.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) confirmed it has lodged a formal protest with the Israeli embassy in Pretoria over what it called “covert foreign influence operations” targeting South Africa’s sovereignty.
As of 10 December 2025, King Dalindyebo has shown no sign of retracting his statements and continues to post pro-Israel content on his personal social-media accounts.
