Statement regarding disruption at Western Cape Branch event

The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) issued a statement regarding the disruption of a Western Cape Branch event on 7 May, which featured Emma Louise Powell of the Democratic Alliance. The event, focused on South Africa's G20 goals and bilateral relations, was halted due to protests over the speaker's positions on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

• An event hosted by the SAIIA Western Cape Branch on 7 May was disrupted and ended due to security concerns because of the presence of speaker Emma Louise Powell, a Member of Parliament and National Spokesperson for International Relations and Cooperation for the Democratic Alliance (DA), whose positions on the Israel-Palestine conflict sparked protests.
• SAIIA clarifies that its branches in Cape Town (Western Cape) and Pietermaritzburg are managed by volunteer committees that independently organize events, and that speaker views do not necessarily represent the Institute or its National Council.
• SAIIA acknowledged that the Western Cape branch failed to ensure a diversity of viewpoints by including panellists across the political divide and has committed to reviewing event planning processes to ensure future discussions are safe and balanced.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2025). Statement regarding disruption at Western Cape Branch event. https://saiia.org.za/news/statement-regarding-disruption-at-western-cape-branch-event/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Statement regarding disruption at Western Cape Branch event. 2025. https://saiia.org.za/news/statement-regarding-disruption-at-western-cape-branch-event/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Statement regarding disruption at Western Cape Branch event |date=8 May 2025 |url=https://saiia.org.za/news/statement-regarding-disruption-at-western-cape-branch-event/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2025statement, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Statement regarding disruption at Western Cape Branch event}}, publisher = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2025}, month = may, url = {https://saiia.org.za/news/statement-regarding-disruption-at-western-cape-branch-event/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }