Does anyone believe antisemites when they are forced to apologize? ~ Elder Of Ziyon

Friday, April 17, 2026

Does anyone believe antisemites when they are forced to apologize?

In 2024, outside a courthouse in South Africa, Mongezi Twala, a leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters political party addressed an angry crowd, saying, “Let us mobilise. We are mobilising our young battalions, our fire eaters, the fighters – they are coming and flocking to this court in numbers. You also do the same. It is going to start today when we cut the ugly throats of the Jews. We must cut the head of the snake today.” He then added that he wanted his message that “Palestine will be free” to go to “all the Jewish murderers”.

Sounds pretty antisemitic to me.

The South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) filed a civil complaint. Twala did everything he could to avoid being served, but finally the SAJBD was successful in serving him. If he would have lost, there would have been political pressure for him to resign for hate speech violations.

So Twala's lawyers approached the SAJBD in March and proposed that he issue an apology and attend some Holocaust education.

The apology sounds like it was carefully drawn up by lawyers. It certainly doesn't sound like the same person who said that Jews' throats should be cut:

Upon reflection, I recognise that the language used in those statements was inappropriate and hurtful. I sincerely regret that my words caused pain and distress to members of the Jewish community and to others who value dignity, respect, and peaceful coexistence in our country. This experience has reminded me of the deep historical pain associated with antisemitism and the importance of speaking about such matters with care and responsibility, regardless of one’s political views.

I mean, come on. No one speaks like that.

And if the apology was sincere, one would expect that it would be posted on Twala's social media pages. I couldn't find it anywhere outside the South African Jewish Report.

The idea that a stilted apology is adequate after a literal threat to murder Jews is just bizarre. The SAJBD is touting this as a victory but I don't see how it is - if the only place that the manufactured apology is visible is outside Twala's party and media, then what good does it do? His EFF party knows it is not sincere, and so does everyone else.