“Stop Lying About Us”: SA Flotilla Activists Expose Israel’s Misinformation Campaign

A diplomatic spat has erupted after the Israeli embassy in South Africa claimed that local taxpayers paid for the return flights of six South Africans detained at sea while attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The activists, including Mandla Mandela, writer Zukiswa Wanner, and fellow solidarity organisers Reaaz Moolla, Carolyn Shelver, Zaheera Soomar and Fatima Hendricks, say the claim is not only false, but part of a broader propaganda strategy to discredit Palestine supporters.

The Flotilla Mission That Sparked Global Headlines

The group was among more than 400 activists, aid workers and political figures from around the world who joined the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian fleet of 41 vessels heading for Gaza in an effort to break Israel’s naval blockade and deliver aid to starving residents.

The flotilla never reached its destination. It was intercepted in international waters, and the South Africans were detained by Israeli forces for almost a week before being deported via Jordan.

Their return to OR Tambo International Airport last Wednesday was met with applause, ululation and Palestinian flags a show of solidarity that clearly irritated Israeli officials.

The Tweet That Backfired

On 6 October, the Israeli embassy in Pretoria posted on X (formerly Twitter):

“As always, it’s the SA taxpayers who get the honour of paying for fellow citizens’ deportation tickets.”

That one line lit a match.

DIRCO spokesperson Clayson Monyela swiftly dismissed the statement, saying the South African government played no financial role in repatriating the activists, only in providing diplomatic assistance.

Families, solidarity organisations and private donors allegedly covered every cent.

“We Paid Our Own Way” – Mandela and Co Fire Back

Mandla Mandela and flotilla organiser Hasina Kathrada doubled down, calling Israel’s remarks an intentional lie meant to “sow division” among South Africans.

“Each family covered its own member’s ticket. Any suggestion otherwise is false,” they said.

Mandela accused Israel of spending “hundreds of millions of rands” globally on propaganda efforts while suppressing dissent.

Instead of apologising, the embassy shifted its tone, claiming the activists were manipulated by Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas and other “state actors”, and that the mission was “never about aid”.

Embassy Statement Sparks Outrage

The embassy avoided retracting its taxpayer claim altogether, choosing instead to paint the activists as naive pawns.

It described the flotilla as a “narcissistic performance” and suggested that the humanitarian aid on board was symbolic rather than substantive.

The backlash was immediate.

Political analyst Professor Ahmed Jazbhay says the embassy’s narrative is a “publicity stunt designed to distract from Israel’s growing isolation and South Africa’s legal action at the International Court of Justice.”

Why This Matters Locally

With South Africa openly pursuing a genocide case against Israel at the ICJ and the government taking a hard diplomatic stance on Palestine, any claims involving taxpayers are politically explosive.

Opposition parties have previously hammered DIRCO over costs related to diplomatic missions, so the embassy’s tweet was seen by many as a deliberate attempt to stir public resentment.

But this time, the facts didn’t stick.

A Propaganda Pattern?

The activists argue that this is not about airfare, it’s about discrediting global solidarity work before it gains further traction.

Online, South Africans had no difficulty calling it what it was:

• “You tried it. It flopped. Repost with the truth,” wrote one X user.

• Others accused the embassy of “peddling lies because the flotilla exposed the blockade to the world.”

Meanwhile, the activists say their focus remains on Gaza, not the noise.

As Mandela put it:

“They can lie about flights, but they can’t lie about 75 years of occupation.”

{Source: The Citizen}

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