30/03/2026
The South African Zionist Federation is devastated by the brutal murder of Steven Gruzd. We mourn, with profound grief and a broken heart, a scholar, analyst, writer, wordsmith, and deeply beloved member of our community.
Steven was taken from us in an act of senseless violence on Friday evening. He was 53 years old.
For decades, Steven was one of South Africa’s sharpest and most respected analytical minds. As Head of the African Governance and Diplomacy Programme at the South African Institute of International Affairs, he brought rigour, nuance, and intellectual honesty to some of the continent’s most complex political challenges. His work was cited, respected, and relied upon by policymakers, diplomats, and researchers across Africa and around the world. Through his writing in the SA Jewish Report, always clear-eyed, always fair, always illuminating, he brought that same clarity directly to our community, helping us understand our country, our world, and our place within it.
Yet Steven was far more than his formidable intellect. He was a gentle soul and a truly decent human being in the fullest sense of those words. A familiar and cherished presence at SAZF events, he gave generously of his time, his insight, and his warmth. His colleagues at SAIIA speak of his brilliance, his collegiality, and the quiet kindness he brought to everything he did, a description that all who knew him will recognise instantly. He was the kind of person who made every room warmer, and every conversation more meaningful.
He was also a Scrabble champion who represented South Africa at the All Africa Games, a pursuit that suited him perfectly, precise, playful, and always in command of exactly the right word.
We extend our deepest condolences to his family, his wife, his daughters, and all who loved him. They have lost a husband and a father. We have lost a giant.
Steven Gruzd z"l. May his memory be a blessing, and may his family know no more sorrow.