Anglican Church of Southern Africa Calls for Academic and Sports Boycott of Israel
CAPE TOWN – In a significant escalation of international pressure, the Anglican Church of Southern Africa (ACSA) has passed a landmark resolution calling on sports bodies, schools, and universities across the region to sever ties with Israeli institutions. The move represents one of the most comprehensive religious-led boycott initiatives in Southern Africa and adds substantial weight to the growing Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.
The resolution, adopted during the church’s recent Provincial Synod, explicitly urges educational and sporting institutions to “immediately terminate any relationships with Israeli universities, schools, and sports organizations” until what the church describes as “the end of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.” This development marks a significant moment in the intersection of religious leadership, human rights advocacy, and international political activism across the Southern African region.
Historic Resolution with Far-Reaching Implications
The ACSA’s resolution represents a comprehensive approach to institutional boycott that extends beyond the economic divestment measures typically associated with the BDS movement. By specifically targeting academic and sports exchanges, the church aims to disrupt normalization of relations at cultural and educational levels. The resolution affects one of the largest Christian denominations in Southern Africa, with members across South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique, Angola, Lesotho, Eswatini, and St Helena.
The church’s stance draws explicit parallels to the sports and academic boycotts that helped dismantle apartheid in South Africa, positioning the current initiative as a moral continuation of that struggle. This historical framing gives the resolution particular resonance in a region with direct experience of international isolation as a tool for political change. The development represents a significant escalation in regional civil society responses to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a topic receiving increasing coverage on platforms like South Africa news outlets.
“As people who have experienced the evil of apartheid, we cannot remain silent in the face of another people’s oppression,” stated Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town. “Our synod has resolved that we must take concrete action, not merely issue statements of concern. The sports and academic boycotts were crucial in ending apartheid here, and we believe similar measures are now morally necessary regarding Palestine. This is a matter of consistent application of our human rights principles and Christian conscience.”
The original report detailing this significant development was comprehensively covered by IOL News, highlighting the church’s positioning within broader regional and international contexts. The resolution specifically mentions terminating “all formal and informal relationships” including “sports tours, academic exchanges, research partnerships, and institutional affiliations” with Israeli counterparts.
Practical Implementation and Institutional Responses
The practical implementation of the resolution now becomes the central challenge and focus. The ACSA has established a dedicated working group to identify existing relationships between Southern African institutions and their Israeli counterparts, and to develop advocacy strategies for their termination. The church plans to engage directly with university vice-chancellors, school principals, and sports federation leaders across the region to press for compliance with their call.
Several prominent universities in South Africa, including the University of Cape Town, University of the Witwatersrand, and Stellenbosch University, maintain various research partnerships and academic exchange programs with Israeli institutions. Similarly, sports federations—particularly in rugby, cricket, and football—have historical relationships with Israeli counterparts. The church’s intervention places significant moral pressure on these institutions to reevaluate these international connections through an ethical lens.
“This is not about isolating individual Israeli scholars or athletes, but about challenging the normalization of relations with institutions that are complicit in what international human rights organizations have identified as a system of apartheid,” explained Reverend Rachel Mash, Environmental Coordinator for the ACSA. “We are calling on our educational and sporting bodies to conduct ethical audits of their international partnerships. When South Africa was under apartheid, the international academic and sports boycott was crucial in raising awareness and forcing change. We now have a moral obligation to extend the same solidarity to the Palestinian people.”
The resolution has already sparked intense debate within academic circles. Some university administrators express concern about academic freedom and the value of international collaboration, while student organizations and faculty associations have largely welcomed the church’s stance. The timing coincides with increased student activism on Palestinian issues across Southern African campuses, mirroring similar movements globally. For ongoing coverage of how this religious initiative is influencing institutional policies, readers can follow detailed reporting on South Africa news platforms.
In the sports arena, the resolution presents particular challenges for teams and athletes who may have scheduled competitions or training exchanges in Israel. South Africa’s sports ministry has historically maintained a position of solidarity with Palestine, but the practical implementation of a comprehensive sports boycott would require coordination across multiple sporting codes and governing bodies. The church has indicated it will prioritize engagement with sports that receive significant public funding, arguing that taxpayer money should not support relationships with a state accused of human rights violations.
The broader geopolitical implications of the resolution are significant, positioning Southern Africa’s largest Anglican province firmly within the international BDS movement. The church’s stance aligns with the South African government’s longstanding critical position on Israeli policies, but goes substantially further in calling for concrete institutional boycotts. This religious endorsement provides moral legitimacy to boycott campaigns that have sometimes faced criticism as being politically motivated rather than grounded in ethical principles.
As institutions across the region grapple with how to respond to the church’s call, the debate highlights growing tensions between international academic collaboration and ethical responsibility in an increasingly polarized global landscape. The coming months will reveal how many schools, universities, and sports bodies choose to implement the church’s recommendations, and what impact this religious-led initiative will have on Southern Africa’s international relationships and its role in global human rights advocacy.
