King Buyelekhaya Zwelibanzi Dalindyebo of the AbaThembu kingdom is part of a delegation visiting Israel hosted by Israeli foreign affairs minister Gideon Sa’ar.
The Israeli embassy in South Africa announced Dalindyebo and his delegation, including the royal family and a group of church leaders, met with Sa’ar in Jerusalem on Monday.
The delegation includes the Chief Apostle Caesar Nonqunga of the Twelve Apostles Church in Christ, his two children Princess Ntando and Prince Sinethemba, several AbaThembu chiefs and royal family members.
“During their visit to Israel the delegation will meet with survivors of captivity and will also travel to communities near the Gaza border to witness first-hand the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7 2023. The delegation will visit the site of the Nova Festival and Kibbutz Nir Oz,” the embassy said.
In a social media post, the embassy posted pictures of Dalindyebo shaking hands with the minister with the SA and Israeli flags visible alongside them. A group photo of what appears to be members of the delegation was also posted.
Israeli diplomat David Saranga, who welcomed the delegation, reflected on his meeting with Dalindyebo earlier this year.
“Your Majesty, I remember our meeting in the Eastern Cape. You and your advisers asked many tough but thoughtful questions. I told you then: ‘Your Majesty, come and see with your own eyes. Come and see what the media in South Africa does not show.’ Immediately, as a leader, you answered: ‘I will come.’ Three months later, here we are in Jerusalem.
“Your Majesty, very soon you will discover we Israelis are direct, open and unfiltered, and from knowing you, I know you share the same qualities of honesty and straightforwardness.”
Saranga urged him to ask every question, challenge every speaker and seek every clarification during his visit.
“What matters most to us is that you receive the broadest and most authentic picture possible about Israel’s story, about our region, and about this young country which can only be understood by walking its streets, meeting its people and experiencing its complexity firsthand. Your presence here honours us deeply. May your visit be enlightening, meaningful, and may it strengthen the friendship between our peoples.”
The visit is said to be part of Sa’ar’s efforts to strengthen Israel’s ties with other countries in the world.
International relations between South Africa and Israel are tense, with SA withdrawing all its diplomatic staff in 2023.
Some social media users have criticised the king’s trip, accusing him of betraying the SA government’s pro-Palestine stance at the International Court of Justice. Other social media users have called on the EFF to comment on the trip, as Dalindyebo is aligned with the party, which is anti-Israel.
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