JOHANNESBURG South Africa on Friday declared the charge d’affaires of the Israeli Embassy in Pretoria persona non grata, giving him 72 hours to leave the country. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said Israel had been formally notified of the decision to declare Ariel Seidman an unwelcome person. “This decisive measure follows a series of unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practice which pose a direct challenge to South Africa’s sovereignty,’’ Phiri said in a statement.