PRESS RELEASE
The Palestine Solidarity Alliance welcomes the Free VISA entry requirements for ordinary Palestinian people to visit South Africa.
The new 90-day Free Visa access for Palestinian citizens is an important step in affirming our countries commitment to supporting the Palestinian people in their struggle for basic human right, self-determination and dignity.
Importantly, we must recognise that this pronouncement by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, DIRCO is a result of the advocacy by many solidarity groups across the country, including the PSA, MRN and the SABDS Coalition amongst others
It is a significant victory in countering the apartheid state of Israel, which controls so many aspects of Palestinian lives, from checkpoints, administrative detention without trial and the siege on Gaza.
This effort further demonstrates the need for collective and unified effort on common campaigns to halt the ethnic cleansing of Palestine by the Jewish state.
In the words of President Mandela, we know that “South Africa cannot be free until Palestine is Free,” and thus call for a redoubling of our efforts to isolate apartheid Israel by building a strong anti-apartheid movement to drive boycotts, divestment and sanctions against the fascist Jewish settler colony.
In particular, we call for a full cultural and sporting boycott of apartheid Israel as was done for apartheid South Africa.
We call for the expulsion of the Israeli embassy and all its agents from our democratic lands, in particular we call for the prosecution of all South Africans serving in the Israeli military and occupation force, for crimes against humanity, the crime of apartheid and war crimes.
We look forward to welcoming our Palestinian brothers and sisters to South Africa and to the day when we can all be truly free from the yolk of apartheid, racism and inequality.
Issued by:
The Palestine Solidarity Alliance
22 September 2023
