Dr. Naledi Pandor, former South African Minister of International Relations and the public face of South Africa’s December 2023 application to the International Court of Justice charging Israel with genocide against the Palestinians, was held at gunpoint with her husband in their Pretoria home on Friday night, May 22, at approximately 9:00 p.m. local time. Three armed men in balaclavas forced entry, confronted Pandor in her bedroom while a second suspect held her husband in the bathroom, ransacked the house, and took two televisions, two iPhones, a laptop, and the couple’s Toyota Cross. The vehicle was later recovered. No one was injured.
The incident was reported on X on Saturday by broadcaster Yusuf Abramjee, former chairman of the National Press Club, and has since been covered across South African media. Acting National Police Commissioner Lt. Gen. Puleng Dimpane said the South African Police Service is working “around the clock” to find the perpetrators.