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The Israeli Embassy said seven South Africans, including Mandla Mandela, detained while transporting aid to Gaza, will be deported on Tuesday.
Albert Llop/NurPhoto via Getty Images
- The Israeli Embassy said the South Africans detained while transporting humanitarian aid to Gaza would be deported on Tuesday via Jordan.
- The South African government confirmed their release and repatriation.
- Mandla Mandela and six other South Africans were detained after Israel intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla, consisting of 45 vessels, in international waters about 130km off the coast of Gaza.
The Israeli Embassy says the South Africans detained by Israeli military forces while transporting humanitarian aid to Gaza will be deported on Tuesday.
In a tweet shared on Monday afternoon, the embassy addressed concerns expressed by Nosekeni Rabia Mandela, the wife of Mandla Mandela, regarding her husband’s safety.
Mandela, along with six other South Africans, was detained at the Ketziot Negev Israeli Prison facility.
Their detention follows the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which consisted of 45 vessels, in international waters approximately 130 kilometres off the coast of Gaza.
The tweet referred to a News24 article in which Mandela’s wife and her daughter voiced their worries.
The tweet stated:
She doesn’t have to worry or lie awake at night. We trust @DIRCO_ZA has informed her that all South Africans who tried to enter illegally will be expelled tomorrow via Jordan.
“As always, it’s the South African taxpayers who get the honour of paying for their fellow citizens’ deportation tickets,” the embassy remarked.
Dear @News24,
She doesn’t have to worry or lie awake at night.
We trust @DIRCO_ZA has informed her that all South Africans who tried to enter illegally will be expelled tomorrow via Jordan.
As always, it’s the South African taxpayers who get the honor of paying for their… https://t.co/qwi7ioJ3x4
Department of International Relations and Cooperation spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said Israeli authorities formally notified the department regarding the release and repatriation of the detained South African citizens.
He added they were scheduled to be released from detention and would depart via Jordan on Tuesday morning.
“Minister [Ronald] Lamola extends his gratitude to all relevant parties, both domestically and internationally, for their cooperation and coordination in ensuring the return of the South African citizens,” Phiri said.
READ | ‘Will they kill daddy?’ Mandla Mandela’s children ask as wife fears for his safety
“The South African government remains committed to the safety and well-being of its citizens abroad.”
Raising concerns about Mandela, also known as Inkosi Zwelivelile, chief of Mvezo, his wife, Nosekeni, told News24 on Sunday that the uncertainty about what would happen to her husband worried her family.
She said their children - Mandela, eight, and twins Nonhlanhla and Rolihlahla, six - have been trying their best to remain strong and composed, but had moments of being inconsolable, thinking about whether their father would be killed.
She told News24:
They were a group of ordinary people who could no longer stand by and witness the genocide and mass starvation of all those in Gaza.
“We will continue raising our voices until Palestine is finally free. Though the battle seems endless, my husband’s unwavering devotion to the Palestinian cause is something we all share and promise to carry forward.”
The group of South Africans detained includes award-winning writer and cultural activist Zukiswa Wanner; community leader Reaaz Moola; occupational therapist Dr Fatima Hendricks; international humanitarian leader Dr Zaheera Soomar; sociopolitical activist Basheerah Soomar; and gender activist Carrie Shelver.
