South Africa’s call to Hamas leader embarrasses government

What you need to know:

  • South Africa’s Minister for International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, called head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, this week.
  • But the call was made without the prior knowledge of Ramaphosa, who has tried to walk a tightrope and balance between criticising Israeli’s excesses and not looking like supporting militants.