Johannesburg – The Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF) has come under fire from disgruntled Christian organisations, who accuse it of attacking their religion.
In a joint statement made available to The Bulrushes, the Christian Leaders’ Forum, South African Friends of Israel (SAFI), and the International Christian Embassy of Jerusalem said they were “painfully dismayed by the latest attack against Christianity mounted by the NMF”.
In the statement, on Monday 28 July 2025, the organisations complained that: “Their latest campaign, dressed as the ‘Solidarity in Action Awards’, seeks to award applicants with proposals on ‘creative, courageous, and effective initiatives geared towards challenging Christian Zionism'”.
The organisations, among several other parties, called for renewed respect for the constitutional right of South African Christians to freely express their religious convictions, particularly regarding support for Israel.
Their call came amid growing concern about what the groups describe as a troubling ideological drift within the NMF, made clear by its blatant hostility towards Christian Zionism, as characterised by the Solidarity in Action Awards.
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Commenting on the matter, Bafana Modise, spokesperson at SAFI said: “It appears that the NMF has been hijacked by radicals with political agendas, and it is no coincidence that it has been steered in this horrific ideological direction following the recent appointment of Naledi Pandor as its chairperson”.
Modise added: “Pandor has demonstrated profound hostility towards the State of Israel and is notoriously known to have friendly relations with Hamas, a designated terrorist group that has been actively pursuing genocide against the LGBTQ+ community, Christians, Israelis, and Jews since its inception.”
Nelson Mandela explicitly recognised “the legitimacy of Zionism as a Jewish nationalism” in 1993 and insisted on “the right of the state of Israel to exist within secure borders”.
He also, as President of “our great country”, received an honorary doctorate from one of Israel’s prestigious universities that was bestowed upon him at the Three Arts theatre in Cape Town.
At this event, he underlined the importance of Israel’s contribution to the world and stressed the need to come to a peaceful agreement with the Palestinian people whereby the two peoples could live side by side in peace.
“This is something we all pray for. Zionism is fundamentally supported by Christians, especially evangelicals, who constitute approximately 50% of South African Christians and share a deep understanding of Biblical Scripture that highlights God’s everlasting covenant with Israel.
“We are beginning to see an alarming trend where respectable South African organisations are being indirectly hijacked by hostile foreign forces promoting an agenda, which is harmful to the average South African,” adds Modise.
“Support for Israel and its right to exist, a reasonable position that serves as the foundation of Zionism, is rooted in biblical truth and genuine faith, far removed from the politicised falsehoods that distort or undermine it.
“The NMS’s attempts to rebrand Zionism as colonialism or apartheid undermines and disrespects the religious beliefs of millions of South Africans,” said Vivienne Myburgh, spokesperson for the ICEJ.
The organisations said they noted the growing silencing of Christian voices in public discourse surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“Our concern is not only theological. It is also deeply humanitarian,” says Myburgh.
“In Sub-Saharan Africa, Christians face persecution from radical Islamists.
“In 2024 alone, approximately 4,476 Christians were murdered, with over 16 million displaced by attacks in Nigeria, Sudan, the Central African Republic, and other countries.
“These militant groups aim to eradicate Christianity similarly to Israel’s enemies – through terror, destruction, and repression.”
The statement said “bizarrely”, while Christian communities have halved in most Middle Eastern countries, the number of Christians in Israel has increased roughly fourfold.
The statement further said that any Christians in South Africa view Israel’s security concerns as valid and urgent, adding that attacks from Iran-backed proxies, targeting Israel with missiles, terrorism, and hostility, pose existential threats.
“Rather than condemning terrorism, we’ve witnessed local political factions extending solidarity to the perpetrators. This is not the South Africa Mandela envisioned,” said Myburgh.
The ICEJ, SAFI, and Christian Leaders Forum urge the Foundation, once a global beacon of dialogue and reconciliation, to return to Mandela’s principles of religious tolerance and bridge-building, not division.
They also stressed that Christian Zionism in South Africa should not be misrepresented or weaponised in public debates.
“Supporting Israel is not colonialism. It is a covenant,” said Pearl Kupe from the Christian Leaders Forum.
“To delegitimise that is to delegitimise the faith of millions of law-abiding, peace-loving South Africans.”
In the joint statement, SAFI, ICEJ, and Christian Leaders Forum called on national leaders, religious institutions, and civil society to reaffirm South Africa’s foundational commitment to freedom of belief, robust dialogue, and principled peace.
