Dirco was responding to journalist Paula Slier’s blog post published in the Times of Israel on Friday, July 11, 2025.
The International Relations Department (Dirco) says assertions that the South African government knowingly collaborated with Hamas ahead of the October 7 attacks on Israel are a “misstep, granting oxygen to demonstrably unverified assertions.”
Dirco was responding to journalist Paula Slier’s blog post published in the Times of Israel on Friday, July 11, 2025.
‘SA collaborating with Iran’
In the post, Slier writes about a $400 million lawsuit being prepared in the United States (US) against President Cyril Ramaphosa, accusing the South African government of knowingly collaborating with Hamas ahead of the October 7 attacks on Israel, attacks in which at least 47 American citizens were killed or taken hostage.
“The case, built on recommendations by UK-based consultant Justin Lewis, claims to have uncovered new material evidence of coordination between South African officials, Hamas, and Iran in the months leading up to the massacre. It’s a staggering allegation: that South Africa’s diplomatic support for Hamas wasn’t just rhetorical solidarity, but active complicity,” Slier wrote.
‘Bemusement’
In an open letter to Slier and the Times of Israel on Sunday, Dirco spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said he observed with a “degree of bemusement Slier’s recent forays into the blogosphere of the Times of Israel.”
“On July 11, 2025, you saw fit to amplify the extreme, dangerous, and unsubstantiated assertions of one Justin Lewis. A mere two days later, you claim that this is ‘a lobbying and advocacy effort based on unverified allegations’.
“However, instead of apologising to your readers for violating the most basic tenets of ethical journalism, and taking steps to mitigate the damage you have caused, you chose once again to amplify these reckless allegations, vowing to pursue them, notwithstanding the lack of evidence!” Phiri wrote.
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Litigation
In the blog post referred to by Phiri, written by Slier two days late, wrote that while Lewis had said he submitted recommendations, “he is not personally involved in any litigation process and cannot confirm that a lawsuit is being filed. He advises third parties who may be considering such action.”
“This does not negate the seriousness of the questions raised, nor the significance of South Africa’s diplomatic posture toward Hamas and Iran, which continues to generate global concern. But it does shift the emphasis: this is not yet a legal case; it is a lobbying and advocacy effort based on unverified allegations,” Slier wrote.
“Almost all the responses to my previous blog post were positive. But I’ve also heard from concerned colleagues and friends in the media, urging me to look again at the man behind these claims. And they’re right”.
False claims
Phiri said the claims against Pretoria are untrue.
“For the record, to say that these claims are unverified and baseless is a perfectly rational response to someone, like Mr Lewis, who clearly has a penchant for misinformation and lies.
“What is not rational is to ignore a growing body of evidence and information from experts in search of non-existent evidence that South Africa could not have possibly conceived on its own, the interpretation of upholding international law by invoking the provisions of the genocide convention,” Phiri said.
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Research
Phiri outlined desktop research points from LinkedIn that he claims could have been used to verify similar sensational claims made about the First Minister of Scotland by Lewis, who is a non-lawyer but a farmer and entrepreneur by profession.
“The ‘information’ you are referring to is an email to an organisation referred to as the Media Research Council (MRC) in which Mr. Lewis commenced his missive with a litany of pronouncements”.
“He proceeded to tell the MRC evidence exists confirming that the SA government, led at that time by its main political party the ANC knew about Hamas’ intended attack on the state of Israel before it happened in October 2023 and that elements within the SA government, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DIRCO) (sic), actively encouraged and enjoined its support of Hamas political strategy by acting as its agent for access to the ICC and the ICJ, which access to the court (ICJ), Hamas did not have as a non-signatory, as alleged.”
SA ICJ case
According to Phiri, further details in the email state that as part of a political strategy, preparations were made prior to the October 7 atrocity against Israel, to put in place mechanisms to approach the ICC and ICJ for protection from the state of Israel’s anticipated response.
“As a layman, the example I use is that of assisting a neighbour to burn his house down, then rushing to court to claim insurance protection from your insurer (as your neighbour is a non-signatory).”
“Tea One might reasonably be surprised that a mere email from a third party, clearly well-versed in the art of name-dropping luminaries—some, like Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former Chief Justice Arthur Chaskalson, no longer with us, alongside the rather incongruous mention of British royalty and former Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng—could trigger a media inquiry,” Lewis wrote.
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‘Gaping holes’
Phiri said his own “rudimentary desktop research swiftly illuminated the gaping holes” in Lewis’s narrative and credibility, including that Lewis styles himself a “non-lawyer” yet claims to have “worked with two Chief Justices” of our Republic.
“In what capacity? South African judges, by the very nature of our judicial system, do not conduct investigations, let alone work with members of the public directly on legal matters.”
‘Misstep’
Phiri said Slier’s July 11 blog entry in the Times of Israel “regrettably mirrored this precise misstep, granting oxygen to demonstrably unverified assertions.”
“You further compounded the error by endorsing Mr Lewis’s contention that the South African media had, in some grand conspiracy, ignored his ‘information’. In doing so, you effectively impugned the integrity of our media as a whole, suggesting it functions as a purveyor of misinformation or propaganda.”
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No politics
Phiri added that South Africa’s case against Israel has nothing to do with politics, nor with religion or ethnicity.
“It is about the conduct of a State that has signed the UN Charter, the Genocide Convention and numerous international instruments and manifestly and repeatedly violated them. It is about the equal application of international law.
“Our support for the right of self-determination of the Palestinian people is predicated on the enduring need to address the manifestation of an illegal settler colonial occupation,” Phiri said.
Mandela month
However, Slier has continued to ask whether Pretoria knew about Hamas’ attack.
“The broader question: what did South Africa know about Hamas’s intentions before October 7, and what role has it played diplomatically since? – remains valid and urgent. But it must be pursued through verified facts, credible sources, and balanced reporting.
“I intend to continue reporting on this story. In the coming days, I’ll be speaking to a range of analysts and legal experts to assess both the claims and the implications. If evidence surfaces of collaboration, foreknowledge, or financial consequences, I will report on it. But I will do so transparently and carefully,” Slier said.
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