Gaza
Six South African activists, including Zukiswa Wanner and Mandla Mandela, have detailed abuse after being detained by Israeli forces during a Gaza aid mission. They claim they were denied food, medication, and rights, linking their arrest to South Africa’s legal case against Israel. Activist Hendriks vowed to keep fighting injustice.
A group of six South African activists, including noted author Zukiswa Wanner and prominent political figure Mandla Mandela, has returned to South Africa after a series of harrowing encounters at the hands of Israeli forces during their Global Sumud Flotilla mission aimed at delivering aid to Gaza.
The group returned to a hero's welcome when they were met by throngs of Pro-Palestinian supporters at the OR Tambo Airport on Wednesday. Reports indicate that the group endured a week-long detention marked by allegations of systemic mistreatment, including denial of food and other basic human rights.
This is as Israeli forces unlawfully intercepted more than 41 vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla, kidnapping, detaining and torturing dozens of activists from countries such Australia, Switzerland, Italy Italy and South Africans who were intending to sail to deliver life-saving aid and break Israel’s cruel and inhumane blockade of Gaza.
Some of the members of the group alleged that being South African contributed to the harsh treatment after the South African government, in 2024 took the Israeli government to the International Criminal Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC) over allegations of human rights violations.
In December 2023, shortly after the war began, South Africa accused Israel of committing “genocidal acts” in Gaza and took the country to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), thus creating tensions between the two former allies.
On Wednesday, upon her return, Hendriks accused Israeli forces of denying her and other members indicated that they were denied basic human rights provisions including access to food and medication, while others claimed to have been stripped searched and targeted by army forces due to their South African status.
"There was not a single respect given to any of us at any moment in time. Even in our hardest moment that is where we wanted and needed to be and this is the mission we wanted to be a part of. Again, I will speak on behalf on behalf of my comrades, who here will equally say, we will commit to this mission again. Until the genocide is ended, we will not stop.
"Each one of us were very clear that I fear God alone. The Zionist forces know nothing but brutal violence. They came into our room and attacked two women outside our door. We tried to get mattresses into our rooms. They came back 35 soldiers. We had rifles pointed at our foreheads to forcibly take out comrades to solitary confinement. We were ten or 12 women in the cel, yet they responded to us, with this type of brutality," she stated.
Shelver, who is Geneva-based activist and expatriate echoed Hendriks sentiments saying human rights violations against members of the team were the order of the day.
https://dailynews.co.za/opinion/2025-10-16-letters-to-the-editor/
"The interception started at night at sunset and continued until the early hours of the morning, while we were close to Gaza. They deployed very large military vessels and two kinds of gunships and circled us while we were travelling in a sailing boat occupied by about ten people.
"Eventually the forces took us down and cable tied us. We were abducted from our boats, and we were taken in for processing at a detention facility. Even though, there were many violations, our experiences pales into comparison to what has been happening to the Palestinians, who are being denied various human rights under various conventions. We were denied our medication and denied our basic human rights, including access to food or access to see a doctor,' she stated.
