Top South African retailer with 300 stores under siege
Cape Union Mart, which operates 300 stores in South Africa and neighbouring countries, is under fire from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and affiliated activists.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign and its supporters claim that Cape Union Mart executive chairperson Philip Krawitz supports Israel’s military.
These groups claim that profits generated from the South African retail footprint are connected to the funding of Israeli military campaigns and state infrastructure.
The group argued that Krawitz and Cape Union Mart were complicit in the Gaza war and genocide by Israel in the region.
These groups targeted Cape Union Mart and its subsidiary brands, including Poetry, Old Khaki, and K-Way, through protest actions.
Since November 2023, protestors have organised sustained consumer boycotts and weekly demonstrations outside flagship stores.
These protests targeted high-profile stores at the V&A Waterfront, Canal Walk, and Cavendish Square in Cape Town.
Cape Union Mart and Krawitz stated that they had never donated funds to the Israeli army or the Israeli government, calling the allegations false and defamatory.
“The Cape Union Mart Group has only contributed to humanitarian projects in South Africa,” the company said in a statement.
“The Cape Union Mart Group has never donated funds to Israel, the Israeli army, or any other army.”
“Philip Krawitz, in his personal capacity, has also never donated funds to the Israeli army or any other army.”
It added that Krawitz is a philanthropist who supports purely humanitarian projects in South Africa and Israel, in his personal capacity.
“He has made contributions to poverty alleviation, peace, and reconciliation projects for several years, as is his constitutional right,” it said.
Legal action against the protesters
The company and Krawitz have taken legal action in the Western Cape High Court to seek an interdict against protesters.
Krawitz said that the boycott campaign has been for no apparent reason other than the fact that the company was founded by and is owned by Jews.
According to a GroundUp report, he said that there have been serious threats to his and his family’s safety, and that protesters have displayed swastikas.
Threats to his safety have led him to employ full-time bodyguards and use a bulletproof vest, he says.
He explained that the court application is not intended to limit the right to protest, but to protect himself and his company.
Cape Union Mart has 3,500 employees from diverse backgrounds across hundreds of stores. These jobs must be protected, he said.
SA Friends of Israel (SAFI) called on South Africans to stand with Cape Union Mart to protect the thousands of jobs and livelihoods.
“This case is not simply about one retailer. It is about whether propaganda, misinformation, and intimidation will be permitted,” the group said.
SAFI spokesperson Bafana Modise said that robust debate about international affairs must never descend into campaigns that target businesses or individuals.
He added that calls to boycott Cape Union Mart would have devastating consequences for ordinary South Africans.
“In a country battling record unemployment, threatening these jobs is reckless and irresponsible,” Modise said.
“The livelihoods of more than 12,000 people could be affected by campaigns designed to economically harm this business.”
Cape Union Mart protests
Pro-Israel Cape Union Mart rally
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Everyone these days are anti-something living in SA. We are a diverse country, how about standing in unity daily as true South Africans as we do at a Springbok rugby game, or for that matter, any South African sport that glues us together for the love of our country🇿🇦 Let’s respect and encompass one another’s differences & beliefs and rather stand as a true South African for the love of our country, rather than sow division like the rest of the world 🫶 Unity unity unity..