Johannesburg, South Africa – The South African Zionist Federation categorically rejects the torrent of baseless accusations surrounding the group of Gazans initially denied entry at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport. Within hours of their 13 November arrival, politicians and media commentators repeated the inflammatory claim that Israel “deliberately” withheld passport stamps to sabotage them. This toxic narrative did not appear spontaneously, it was lit by one man, Imtiaz Sooliman of Gift of the Givers. His reckless allegation ignited the blaze of misinformation now dominating public debate. This is not mere error, it is a calculated distortion, weaponised to inflame outrage over facts.
Israel abolished physical passport stamps for all foreign visitors on 15 January 2013, replacing them with a standard electronic entry or exit slip, the B/2 form. Every traveller receives this slip, without exception. Millions pass through Israeli borders under this system, including tens of thousands of South Africans each year. Blaming Israel for “missing stamps” is not ignorance, it is wilful blindness to a transparent and universal policy, repackaged as a geopolitical ambush.
Entry into South Africa is not determined by Israel, it is controlled exclusively by the Department of Home Affairs and the Border Management Authority under the Immigration Act. All questions about accommodation, proof of funds, intended stay and documentation are decided by South African officials. Attacking Israel for South Africa’s own procedures, a deflection taken straight from Sooliman’s playbook, is not advocacy, it is evasion designed to avoid accountability.
Sooliman’s attempt to pressure Home Affairs, demanding entry for the group as if he were a shadow minister, is deeply troubling. South Africa is governed by the rule of law, not by the demands of private organisations. No NGO, regardless of its humanitarian image, has veto power over border control or immigration statutes. The public deserves answers. Why was this interference tolerated, and why did it influence decisions that belong solely to elected officials?
Sooliman’s misinformation is consistent with his previous rhetoric. In November 2024, he made comments laced with antisemitic insinuation, speaking of “Zionists” using “fear” and “money” to “run the world”, language rooted in age-old conspiracies that have fuelled centuries of violence. When the same individual now leads the charge to blame Israel for South Africa’s immigration procedures, his agenda is unmistakable.
A simple comparison exposes the falsehood. When Mandla Mandela returned from his Gaza flotilla stunt in October 2025, after six days in an Israeli detention cell, did his passport contain an exit stamp? It did not. Like every other traveller, he received only the electronic slip. Even the Palestinian Embassy added to the confusion, celebrating South Africa’s “waiver” of the nonexistent stamps on Facebook, while ignoring the basic reality of Israel’s well-established B/2 procedure.
South Africans deserve reporting grounded in fact, not outrage engineered for applause. Israel followed its standard protocol, South Africa alone controls its borders, and NGOs do not decide who enters the republic. It is time to replace misinformation with transparency and truth.
