South African ambassador visits Gaza officials

The South African Ambassador to Palestine has made an official visit to the Gaza Strip. Receiving the ambassador in Gaza City on Wednesday, Mayor Nizar Hihazi briefed His Excellency M W Makalima about the hardships faced by Palestinians in the territory, Safa news agency reported.

Mayor Hijazi stressed the strong relationship between Palestinians and South Africa. He praised the stand taken by the government in Pretoria, which supports Palestinian rights. The Palestinians, he told Mr Makalima, are following in the footsteps of the late South African freedom fighter Nelson Mandela as they seek to free their land from the Israeli occupation. “There are many common factors between Palestinians and South Africans,” he insisted.

Explaining that the financial losses caused by last year’s Israeli war against the civilians of Gaza totalled around $42 million, the mayor told the ambassador about the difficulties that the municipality faces in trying to meet the needs of the people, not least due to the ongoing Israeli-led siege.

Ambassador Makalima expressed his happiness that he was able to visit the Gaza Strip in order to see first-hand the scale of the problem and the deterioration that has taken place since the war last summer. He hailed the steadfastness of the Palestinians in facing the Israeli occupation in order to have their rights returned to them.

Like the mayor, he too stressed the strong relationship between the two countries and said that his visit coincided with the 25th anniversary of late President Mandela’s release from captivity. The people of South Africa hope that the Palestinians get similar freedom very soon, he added.

During his visit, Makalima also met the deputy head of the Hamas political bureau and former Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. The two discussed the humanitarian and political situation in the besieged coastal enclave. Haniyeh expressed his sincere thanks to South Africa for its support for the Palestinian people.