A political controversy has erupted in SA after Orlando Pirates refused to boycott their friendly match against a club from ‘apartheid Israel’, Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Pirates’ decision to go ahead with their game against Maccabi Tel Aviv in Spain on Thursday, 13 July left an immense division in the country.
SA’s ruling party ANC has expressed concern about DStv Premiership side Pirates playing an Israeli club even though the SA government has not taken a clear stance on cultural boycotts of Israel.
“As the ANC, what we want is to register what we are concerned about what has been happening in Palestine,” said ANC deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane.
“There is no cultural boycott against Israel, and we continue to trade with Israel. We are concerned about the inconsistencies about not complying with the UN resolutions.”
On the other hand, the ANC Veterans League launched a scathing attack on Pirates. The veterans urged the club’s chairperson Irvin Khoza to immediately cancel the Maccabi encounter.
Convenor of the national task team of the ANC veterans, Snuki Zikalala, insisted that Pirates could suffer reputational damage as one of the biggest teams in Africa.
Pirates face backlash over decision to play in Israel
“We say, as we did in the dark days of apartheid in SA, ‘there can be no normal sport in an abnormal society’, Zikalala said. “It is unthinkable that during this period when apartheid Israeli forces are reigning terror on the Palestinian people, one of our country’s most popular teams, Orlando Pirates is playing ball with an Israeli team.”
Zikalala’s words have been echoed by the South African Federation of Trade Unions [SAFTU].
SAFTU expressed their disappointment at Pirates’ decision not to pull out. The federation’s general-secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, stated that sports boycott was a critical factor in isolating the apartheid regime during SA’s apartheid era.
“It is dismaying to see a figure like Irvin Khoza, who has the benefit of the apartheid experiences and knows how international organisations contributed to freeing us from the grip of apartheid, turning a blind eye to the call for boycotts,” he said.
“He is behaving like all business owners who are only guided by the logic of making money, with little regard to moral obligations. SAFTU demands that Orlando Pirates reconsider their decision and boycott the match.”
Singing the same tune is the South African Communist Party (SACP). The party said that Israel is killing women and children while taking the land of the Palestinians.
“The agent that Orlando Pirates refers to in its statement, who has arranged the match, is throwing the club into a deep reputational crisis that could erode its historical legacy and make it difficult for the club to recover from the subsequent negative impact,” said SACP SACP general-secretary Solly Mapaila.
BUCS TO SUFFER REPUTATIONAL DAMAGE?
“Agents cannot automatically be viewed to be neutral or immune from political influence by powerful forces on the global political and economic scene. The response by the club management threatens to roll back the Orlando Pirates value system.”
In contrast, the South African Friends of Israel (SAFI) has criticised the ANC’s and SAFTU’s calls for Pirates to withdraw from the game against Maccabi. Instead, they backed Pirates’ stance to honour the game.
Furthermore, SAFI encouraged Pirates to stand against those who want to bully the club and force them to boycott the game in Spain.
“This own goal would be a grave injustice to South African sports, as well as the positive role that sports play in bringing people of diverse backgrounds together. And we call on the Orlando Pirates to stand firm,” said SAFI spokesperson Bafana Modise.
It was the Palestine-led movement; Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Coalition (BDS) that initiated the call for the Soweto giants to boycott the match.
SA FRIENDS OF ISRAEL URGES PIRATES TO PLAY MACCABI
BDS insisted that there is “nothing friendly about playing a team representing apartheid Israel”. They cited Israel’s human rights abuses in Palestine.
Pirates, the reigning MT8 and Nedbank Cup champions released a lengthy statement on Monday, explaining why they would not boycott the game.
“It is to the rules that Orlando Pirates went when confronted with calls to withdraw from playing Maccabi Tel Aviv. There is no cultural boycott or boycott of any form by either the SA government, FIFA or the host country that Orlando Pirates can base its refusal to play against Maccabi Tel Aviv,” the club said.
“Heeding a call from any other body would create a conflict within Orlando Pirates that would undermine the club’s values and history irreparably.”
In addition, the Soweto giants made it clear that they are against oppression and reiterated their stance against human rights violations.
The most recent reports indicated that Israeli forces launched the biggest raid in the West Bank in Jenin for years. “Twelve Palestinians and an Israeli soldier were killed in the two-day military operation.”
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