Professor Shabir Mahdi, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand, glorifies terrorism, extols the virtues of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and demonises his detractors as "the most despicable people in history”. He does so through a series of retweets on the X platform.
In one of the posts Madhi endorses a hate-filled trope referring to the "most despicable people in history". This deeply offensive statement has no place in academic discourse, and is particularly unacceptable from a medical doctor and Dean of the prestigious Wits medical school. In making this public endorsement, Madhi exposes his own deep-seated venomous agenda and venerates the man who masterminded countless terror attacks, not least of which was the brutal pogrom of October 7.
The attacks of October 7 resulted in the targeted murder of 1200 civilians, using rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war, burning families alive, and other unspeakable acts of cruelty. Sinwar also oversaw the abduction of 250 hostages who were held in subhuman conditions, 101 of which remain in captivity. These atrocities were filmed by Sinwar’s team. The Hamas October 7 attacks sparked the year-long war that has resulted in horrific suffering, both in Israel and Gaza.
Professor Mahdi's glorification of Sinwar as seen through his retweet, “History will write the name of Yahya Sinwar with heroes” shows his admiration for Sinwar’s extreme viciousness. Sinwar is in fact known as the “Butcher of Khan Younis” for his personal torture and ruthless murder of at least a dozen Palestinians. It is unbefitting of a doctor, especially one responsible for training health professionals, including Jewish students. One wonders what message he is trying to give his Jewish students and fellow academics?
The South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) is appalled both by Shabir Madhi’s social media endorsement of Yahya Sinwar and his description of the “most despicable people in history.” We demand an unequivocal apology from Madhi, and a demonstration that he upholds the values of the faculty of Health Sciences and Wits University as a whole.
