The South African government is facing mounting criticism from anti-war campaigners over its failure to prosecute nationals who have fought for the Israeli army in Gaza.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign in South Africa (PSC), a secular initiative which seeks to promote the Palestinian cause, told Middle East Eye that it was seeking legal advice against the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), a government body responsible for prosecuting individuals under South African law and to a limited extent on an extra-territorial basis, over a lack of arrests since Israel declared its war on Gaza more than 17 months ago.

“After more than a decade of communications with the South African National Police Service, the Hawks [Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation (DCIP)] and the NPA, including mass protests at their Cape Town office and marches to parliament, we have no alternative but to seek legal recourse,” Martin Jansen, the chairperson of the PSC in Cape Town, told MEE.

“We are now preparing for a legal challenge against the NPA which should get off the ground in the next few weeks.”

Since the 7 October 2023 attacks on southern Israel, several South Africans are known to have taken part in the devastating war on Gaza, with some openly boasting about their presence in the enclave on social media, whilst others have shared images of themselves committing apparent war crimes.