by SAVIOUS KWINIKA
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) — GROWING numbers of South Africans have voiced strong support for Iran, accusing the international community of selective moral outrage and criticising the Democratic Alliance (DA) for what they describe as a pattern of hypocrisy in its approach to human rights.
The backlash follows the DA’s announcement that it had formally written to Minister of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) Ronald Lamola, urging him to report Iran to the United Nations Human Rights Council over the alleged violent suppression of protests.
While the DA framed its action as a principled stand against abuses, critics argue the move exposes a double standard that shields powerful Western allies while condemning nations perceived as adversaries of the United States and Israel.
Across social and political platforms, South Africans questioned why the DA has never approached the UN Human Rights Council to condemn Israel for the killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, including children, women and elderly men.
Many noted that the party remained silent during repeated Israeli bombardments that international human rights organisations have described as collective punishment, yet is quick to denounce Iran, a country long targeted by Western sanctions and pressure.
Critics further accused the DA of ignoring serious violations involving the United States.
They cited the widely reported kidnapping and detention of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by a foreign power, an incident that sparked outrage in parts of the Global South but drew no response from the DA at the UN.
Protesters asked why the party did not demand accountability when Venezuela’s sovereignty was violated yet now calls for action against Iran.
The conduct of the United States’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency was also raised as an example of selective concern.
South Africans pointed to the killing of an unarmed mother of three during the suppression of protests in the US, describing it as a grave human rights violation that went unchallenged by the DA.
They questioned why peaceful protests in the United States are met with force without condemnation, while protests in Iran are elevated to the level of international crisis.
Public commentators accused the DA of aligning itself with Western geopolitical interests rather than universal human rights principles.
Many argue that protests in Iran have been exaggerated or manipulated, with widespread belief among critics that elements of the unrest were funded or encouraged by foreign intelligence agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Mossad as part of a broader destabilisation agenda.
Thandi Majobe said South Africans were still waiting for the DA to condemn “the United States’ disregard for international law in Venezuela, the violent suppression of protesters in America, and the genocide in Gaza.”
Nguluvhe Khulu described the DA’s actions as “political grandstanding,” asking whether the party would comment on the killing of an innocent mother of three in the US.
Alke Bulan questioned whether the DA had ever written to the UN about “kidnapping heads of state, looting natural resources, and re-establishing colonial control,” while Gcugcwa Ncamani argued the party had “no moral authority” to speak on human rights while remaining silent on Palestinians’ suffering.
Clint Zitha echoed this view, pointing to the DA’s perceived closeness to Israel.
In its letter, DA spokesperson on International Relations and Cooperation Ryan Smith claimed Iran had killed at least 3,000 protesters, a figure that critics say has not been independently verified.
Smith stated the DA would not tolerate South Africa “turning a blind eye to brutal authoritarian regimes.”
For many South Africans, however, the controversy highlights a deeper issue: a global system quick to condemn targeted nations like Iran, while overlooking or excusing violations committed by powerful states and their allies.
– CAJ News