South African Jewish women demonstrating on International Women’s Day. Photo: SAJBD

South Africa’s Jewish community has continued to display widespread support for Israel as the ruling African National Congress (ANC) has pledged to maintain its pressure on the Jewish state at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Hundreds of Jewish women marched to Constitution Hill in Johannesburg last Friday in an International Women’s Day demonstration calling attention to the plight of 19 Israeli women kidnapped during the Oct. 7 Hamas pogrom and still held in Gaza. The area houses a former prison complex where many historic leaders were incarcerated, among them Mahatma Gandhi, the former Indian independence leader, and Nelson Mandela, the late president of South Africa who led the ANC’s struggle against white minority rule. Protesters held signs declaring “Me Too Unless You’re a Jew” — a reference to the denial that mass rapes occurred during the Hamas onslaught expressed by many of the terror group’s international allies.

Speakers at the event included Miriam Gvaram, an Israeli feminist and social activist who represents the Survivors of Sexual Violence Advocacy Group. Gvaram is also meeting with NGOs and media outlets during her stay in South Africa to brief them on the extent of the sexual violence suffered by Hamas’ female victims.

Organizers pointed to last week’s UN-issued report confirming that its field researchers “found clear and convincing’ information that hostages held captive by Hamas in Gaza were sexually abused and that there are ‘reasonable grounds’ to believe that this sexual violence is continuing.”

At the same demonstration, the South African Jewish Board of Deputies handed over a memorandum to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office calling for a condemnation of the sexual violence and pressure to release the hostages.

Speaking over the weekend, Ramaphosa made no mention of the Israeli victims of Oct. 7 as he asserted that, in Pretoria’s view, Israel had failed to implement the ICJ’s recent ruling calling on the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to exercise greater restraint in Gaza. The ruling was issued after South Africa failed in its bid to determine that Israel’s defensive war in Gaza constitutes a “genocide.”

“Israel has not been complying with the order that was issued by the court,” Ramaphosa said.

“One other concerning thing is that starvation which many organizations have been warning about has now arrived. People in Gaza are now starving,” Ramaphosa claimed.