Pro-Palestinian activists will meet with Minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba to discuss Israeli and South African visa policy. This comes after Israel’s denial to grant Minister Blade Nzimande a visa to enter the occupied territories of Palestine last week.

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions South Africa (BDS SA), the ANC Youth League and several other civil society organisations and political formations will meet the minister. According to BDS SA spokesperson, Kwara Kekana, they will be demanding that the department introduce stringent requirements for Israelis acquiring a visa to South Africa.

“We want to focus on the current policy of automatic visas granted for Israeli citizens. We want to make a case for the department to introduce requirements for Israelis wanting to come into South Africa. The requirements will focus on the individuals involved in any Israeli human rights violations, we want to know what their involvement in the occupation is and also for them to state whether they are a member of the Israeli Defence forces,” Kekana explained.

The discussion, according to Kekana, will positively contribute to the broader BDS campaign by seeing government “speaking to the heart of it”.

“The government must be in the position to demonstrate or to signal dissatisfaction with a particular state, in this case, the apartheid state of Israel. The content of the discussion is a way forward to progressive sanctions against Israel.

“We hope that the visa requirements will be implemented. It will signal that there is a growing movement seeking to isolate the human violations by Israel. It will also give Palestinians hope, showing that citizens and government are actively participating in a campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions,” Kekana added.

Meanwhile, president of the ANC Youth League in the Western Cape, Muhammed Khaled Sayed says that he hopes the discussion is not another ineffective talk shop but has to be effective through making practical decisions.

“It can show that we are going that extra mile as a country,” Sayed added. VOC (Ra’eesah Isaacs)