Johannesburg politician says ‘We want Hitler’ to Jewish colleague

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

A Johannesburg city councillor declared “We want Hitler” and threatened to wear a shirt with Hitler on it in response to a Jewish colleague having Israeli flag designs on personal possessions.

The incident occurred during a meeting on Thursday when Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania and Community Development councillor Tebogo Nkonkou noticed Democratic Alliance councillor Daniel Schay’s tie and computer case which had Israeli flags on them.

Nkonkou demanded that the Israeli flag image should be removed, and alleged it was associated with the killing of women and children.

“I will also come in a shirt with the face of Hitler,” Nkonkou said to the Speaker Nobuhle Mthembu. “I will do that because you allowed this to happen.”

Although Mthembu said Nkonkou’s behavior was unacceptable, Nkonkou continued and said, “We want Hitler.”

Nkonkou, a member of the Economic Freedom Fighters Party, said the Israeli flag was deeply offensive and called it an abuse.

“This flag, we really can’t stand it; we can’t stand the flag of an apartheid country in a country where we experienced apartheid,” said the EFF councilor. “Kids are being killed in Gaza even today, and you are watching.”Other councilors began harassing the Jewish politician and chanting the slogan calling for the destruction of Israel, “From the river to the seea, free, free Palestine.”

The South African Jewish Board of Deputies called Nkonkou’s remarks and behavior “abhorrent” and were “blatant antisemitic intimidation.”

“Such remarks are not only morally repugnant but also legally indefensible,” the Board continued.

On Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio referred to South Africa’s ambassador to the US, Embrahim Rasool, as a “persona non grata” who was no longer welcome in the US after he publicly accused President Donald Trump of white supremacy.

Rubio wrote on X, “South Africa’s Ambassador to the United States is no longer welcome in our great country. Embrahim Rasool is a race-baiting politician who hates America and hates @POTUS. We have nothing to discuss with him and so he is considered PERSONA NON GRATA.”

On Thursday, Rasool addressed the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA) in Johannesburg, where he criticized Trump’s pro-Israel policies and called him a white supremacist.