[12 March 2013]
The ANC Youth League has called for the boycott and protest of the visiting Israeli musician, Yossi Reshef, scheduled to perform this evening at 19h30 at the Wits University Theater in Johannesburg.
Abner Mosase, the International Relations Secretary of the ANC Youth League, said at a joint press conference:
“As the ANC Youth League we fully support the boycott of apartheid Israel and call on all South Africans to stop visiting Israel (official or business)…we must extend the boycott not only to these products, but to all products that come from Israel. We encourage the same approach in sports, culture, and academic spheres. “
“It is therefore is this breath that we condemn the coming of the Israeli pianist Yossi Reshef at Wits University and other parts of the country who is clearly sponsored by the Israeli government. We call on all students to boycott the concert as it only seeks to normalise apartheid Israel. No one must be seen singing with apartheid, particularly in South Africa where we have seen what apartheid policies can do.” (http://tinyurl.com/c9p8755)
Yossi Reshef’s trip to South Africa has been funded by the Israeli Embassy in Pretoria. Reshef is scheduled to perform at several venues in the course of this week but has already been protested by students a Rhodes University last night. Reshef’s trip coincides with the 9th international Israeli Apartheid Week campaign currently underway in South Africa till the 17th of March (http://tinyurl.com/ao2bgyr).
The Deputy President of the Wits University Student Representative Council (Wits SRC), Tokelo Nhlapo, commented: “The hosting of this Israeli musician at Wits University is in clear violation of the cultural boycott of Israel. We view this event as a direct attempt to undermine the Israeli Apartheid Week campaign currently underway on our campuses. Last year the Israeli government sent Israeli “PR envoys” to our campuses during IAW to ‘educate’ us (see: http://tinyurl.com/ch4wlrm). This year they’ve decided on a soft-approach, either way, we stand firm in our solidarity with the Palestinians against Israel and its apartheid policies; to that end, we support the call made by the ANC Youth League to boycott Yossi Reshef and all Israeli musicians.”
Last year the Wits Student Representative Council (Wits SRC) became the first South African SRC to adopt a full academic and cultural boycott of Israel, see: www.bdssouthafrica.com/2011/08/university-of-witwatersrand-student.html
FOR COMMENT:
Tokelo Nhlapo, Wits SRC Deputy President: 0745858045
Tasneem Essop, Wits SRC Secretary-General: 0745858046
