06 July 2025
Cape Town
Honourable Speaker
We write to you with grave concern regarding the integrity and independence of the
South African Parliament, following the exposure of a deeply troubling question in the
application process for the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) Parliamentary Research
Programme, a German-funded initiative run in partnership with Parliament.
As documented in the attached application screenshot, applicants are required to
respond to the question: “Israel has a right to exist.” This is posed alongside basic
queries about South African governance in what is purportedly a research placement
for Parliament. Young South Africans and human rights advocates are outraged, as this
question constitutes a political litmus test and a dangerous intrusion of foreign
ideological agendas into our democratic institutions.
“This question is completely irrelevant to a research placement in Parliament and
amounts to ideological screening,” said one applicant. “It is deeply inappropriate,
especially as Israel faces global scrutiny for its genocidal campaign in Gaza.” Since
October 2023, Israel’s military has killed over 55,700 Palestinians, displaced over 90%
of Gaza’s population, and targeted hospitals, UN staff, and journalists. Despite this,
Germany, through arms sales and political support, has defied the United Nations, the
International Criminal Court, and the International Court of Justice in shielding Israel
from accountability.
The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security has recently
condemned German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s statement of 18 June 2025, in which
he praised Israel for “doing the dirty work for all of us” about airstrikes on Iran that
killed over 900 people, including civilians. The Institute warns that such rhetoric from
world leaders normalises war crimes, dehumanises entire populations, and
undermines international law. It calls on Germany to uphold its constitutional and
international obligations, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and
International Humanitarian Law2.KAS, affiliated with Germany’s ruling Christian Democratic Union, has been described
as an instrument of German imperial soft power, advancing pro-Western foreign
policy, suppressing critical thought, and promoting apartheid apologism under the
guise of democratic education. “To ask South Africans to affirm the ‘right to exist’ of
an apartheid state as a condition for entry into a parliamentary programme is
unconscionable,” said the applicant. “It is nothing less than an attempt to criminalise
solidarity with Palestinians and enforce silence around Israeli crimes.”
Human rights activists note that Palestinians have an inalienable right to self
determination, as affirmed by international law. They argue that Germany and its
affiliated institutions like KAS are violating their legal obligations by shielding Israel,
and that third-party states, including South Africa, are duty-bound not to aid or abet
the Israeli regime.
This requirement is not only a violation of international norms but is in direct
contradiction to South Africa’s own constitutional and employment policies. Section 9
of the Bill of Rights guarantees equality and prohibits unfair discrimination based on
belief, conscience, or political opinion. The Employment Equity Act further bars any
employment practice that discriminates on these grounds. By demanding applicants
declare their stance on a foreign state accused of war crimes, the KAS programme
undermines the very principles of non-discrimination and freedom of conscience at
the heart of South African democracy.
Moreover, South Africa’s constitutional commitment to academic freedom and
freedom of scientific enquiry is clear: “High quality scientifically sound ethical research
relies on the ability to exercise the freedom to research, write and speak robustly and
professionally, without fear or favour on any topic…” The imposition of ideological
screening not only violates these freedoms but also threatens the independence and
credibility of research conducted for Parliament.
Given this requirement, the integrity of any researchers appointed by this organisation
will be called into question, their role in Parliament will be distrusted, and their access
to Parliament will be scrutinised. The presence of such a political litmus test signals
that researchers are selected not for their competence or commitment to South
Africa’s constitutional values, but for their willingness to conform to a foreign agenda.
This undermines the legitimacy of parliamentary research, erodes public trust, and
risks making Parliament complicit in the global whitewashing of apartheid.We therefore call on you, Honourable Speaker, to urgently investigate the KAS
application process and remove any politically biased questions; review the terms of
all foreign-funded parliamentary programmes; affirm the right of South Africans to
express solidarity with Palestine free from ideological vetting; and ensure that
Parliament is not complicit in the global whitewashing of apartheid.
South Africa’s moral standing in the world rests on its history of opposing apartheid.
That legacy must not be undermined by allowing foreign actors to promote Zionist
propaganda and silence dissent in our democratic institutions.
We await your urgent response.
Sincerely,
For media enquiries, interviews, or supporting documentation, please contact:
Usuf Chikte – 082 877 9522
Jaamia Galant – 079 231 4273
Martin Jansen – 082 870 2025
palestinesouthafrica@gmail.com