‘So the world can adjudicate’: Ex-South African foreign minister urges public ICJ hearing on Gaza genocide case

Former foreign minister says she faced threats after South Africa brought case, remains target of personal attacks Pandor voices hope for improved ties with US under incoming Congress, urges Global South to assert greater independence Former South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor urged the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to hold public hearings on her country’s genocide case against Israel and strengthen measures to protect Palestinians in Gaza.

"We would like to have the case heard so that the world can adjudicate whether our contention that genocide is underway will be held up by legal scrutiny," she told Anadolu. The ICJ has held hearings on provisional measures to protect Palestinians but has yet to rule on whether Israel has violated the Genocide Convention.​​​​​​​ Pandor wants public hearings on the merits of the case. No date has been set, with further written arguments due from South Africa by Nov. 22, 2027, and Israel by May 22, 2029.

South Africa filed the case in December 2023, when Pandor was serving as foreign minister, a position she held from 2019 to 2024. Pandor also urged the court to strengthen its interim orders, which require Israel to prevent acts prohibited under the Genocide Convention and ensure urgently needed humanitarian aid reaches Palestinians in Gaza. "We would like to see stronger measures articulated by the ICJ in response to our recent submission," Pandor said on the sidelines of the TRT World Forum last week.

South Africa submitted a dossier Aug. 25 alleging that Israel had failed to comply with the court's three provisional measures orders. The submission was intended to assist judges monitoring compliance and considering possible further action. Asked about the threats and pressure she faced after South Africa brought the case, Pandor said she received additional security protection while serving in government. She said she continues to face personal attacks in media outlets critical of her position on Israel.

"Presently, the attacks consist of articles in Zionist media where I'm called all kinds of names – I'm at Hamas headquarters in South Africa, I'm a tool of Iran and so on," she said. "But I've said that insults are the last refuge of a scoundrel.” Strained relations with Washington Turning to relations between Pretoria and Washington, Pandor said ties had deteriorated under US President Donald Trump but expressed cautious optimism about the incoming Congress following Democrats' victories in the November midterm elections.

She pointed to Washington's decision to withdraw South Africa's benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), effective Jan. 1, 2027. The program provides eligible sub-Saharan African countries with preferential access to the US market. "We've lost them. President Trump wrote us out of the extension last week. So we are out, yeah," she said. Pandor expressed hope that the incoming Congress would adopt a more constructive approach toward South Africa and show greater support for human rights and justice for Palestinians.

Pandor stressed that the central issue was the freedom of the Palestinian people, calling for Washington to play a different role regarding Palestine and the Israeli occupation. BRICS, independent foreign policy Pandor defended South Africa's non-aligned foreign policy, saying it was rooted in human rights, peace and justice rather than allegiance to competing international powers. “Always, South Africa seeks to be non-aligned, but aligned to human rights, to peace and justice,” she said, adding that conflicts should be resolved through negotiations rather than armed confrontation.

Turning to BRICS, Pandor said the bloc could help Global South countries strengthen their sovereignty and make independent decisions. "I think that we must always have our own standard. So I think the South must recognize its power, and I think BRICS is part of the South," she said. She cited the New Development Bank, established by BRICS countries, as an example of developing nations financing their own priorities. She said its lending arrangements allowed member countries greater control over their development, describing the institution as a means of asserting sovereignty.

"I think the South must find itself. I don't look at other countries and how they behave,” she said. “I think we need to find our own power, and we should assert our values as part of the world community.” On Iran, Pandor reiterated her support for South Africa's policy of resolving disputes through diplomacy and negotiations. She said Pretoria condemned attacks by Israel and the US against Iran, as well as Iranian attacks against countries in the region.

"We encourage, as far as is possible, that there should be peaceful negotiations and that nations must learn to talk to each other and avoid armed conflict," she said. “This remains the standing foreign policy of our country. It's the basis upon which our constitution was established.”