Andile Songezo’s letter in response to my article is more striking for what it omits than for what it addresses (“Iran fear mongering”, June 26).
He fails to engage with any of the core factual claims presented. He offers no rebuttal of Iran’s support for terror proxies active on the continent, no acknowledgment of its export of drone capabilities in support of its nuclear ambitions, and no reflection on the human toll its toxic ideology has exacted across Africa.
The author has nothing to say about the very real atrocities African civilians are facing: church burnings, mass kidnappings, rapes and beheadings — all perpetrated by extremist Islamist groups drawing inspiration from Iran’s playbook. These facts are well documented and cannot simply be dismissed for the author’s political convenience.
Instead, the letter devotes much of its content to criticising Israel. This attempt to minimise African suffering in favour of broader geopolitical grievances is, unfortunately, not uncommon. It reflects a trend in certain ideological circles to downplay the continent’s real challenges in favour of blaming imaginary foreign poltergeists. Such narratives do little to advance Africa’s interests, and in fact obscure the actual role of external actors such as Iran that continue to undermine African stability and security.
The reality is that Israel has, for decades, pursued a constructive programme of action with Africa. In critical areas such as agriculture, water security, healthcare and innovation, Israeli expertise has made a tangible difference. The AU has formally recognised Israel’s role in combating the Ebola epidemic, and Israeli technology has provided clean water access to hundreds of thousands of African citizens. This is reflected in the views of citizens; a recent Pew Research survey indicates that Africa is in fact the most supportive continent towards Israel globally.
Such paranoid framing leads to the claim by the author that the major legal case involving MTN and Iran is “lifted straight from America’s regime-change playbook”. That is simply absurd. The primary litigant is a Turkish entity, and the matter is before an SA court. Such claims distract from the seriousness of the allegations, which include bribery, corruption and support for Iran’s nuclear programme.
As global condemnation grows over Iran’s repression of its own citizens — including dissidents, democratic activists and religious minorities — we must not ignore the implications of its actions here in Africa. Iran’s influence on the continent deserves greater scrutiny, not less.
Benji Shulman
Via email
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