RICHARD CALLAND | SA needs professional diplomats

A strong diplomatic capability is essential for advancing South Africa’s national interests — especially in the realm of economic diplomacy. This was the foundational idea of the ministerial task team I chaired in 2019, appointed by then international relations & co-operation minister Lindiwe Sisulu.

Just six months into the job Sisulu had formed a clear view of her new department and its capability. In so many words, and with her customary sense of hyperbole, she told me that most of the country’s diplomats were not good enough ― especially the political appointees ― and that the department’s diplomatic training was simply not up to scratch.

Diplomacy has always mattered. Today it matters more than ever. These were in fact the opening words of the task team report, which laid the foundation for the need for a new “fully fledged”, semi-autonomous diplomatic academy:

“If South Africa is to attract new inward investment, which is a central pillar of its economic growth and job creation strategy, those that represent the country must be well educated and trained, with the high-level skills necessary to cope with the demands of a highly competitive and highly complex world.”

Under presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki no more than about one in 10 head of mission appointments were non-career diplomats, but former president Jacob Zuma flipped the ratio on its head, causing an understandable drop in morale within the ranks.

Reinstating the restriction on political appointments to bolster the development of career diplomats with as much consistency in skills, experience and expertise as possible was one of the recommendations of our report.

Under President Cyril Ramaphosa there has been a partial reprofessionalisation, but political appointments remain a significant feature of South Africa’s diplomatic representation, reflecting a mixed rather than fully merit-based model. His recent appointment of ANC politician Ayanda Dlodlo to the plum position of ambassador to France raised eyebrows, for example.

In an era of heightened geopolitical competition, economic fragmentation and technological rivalry, economic issues have moved from the periphery to the centre of international relations — accelerated by you know who. Diplomats are now expected not only to negotiate political relationships but also to understand investment flows, industrial policy, trade agreements, critical supply chains, climate finance, digital regulation and the strategic use of economic leverage.

In an era of heightened geopolitical competition, economic fragmentation and technological rivalry, economic issues have moved from the periphery to the centre of international relations — accelerated by you know who.

Will Dlodlo be able to rise to this challenge? What about Roelf Meyer’s appointment as ambassador to the US? Perhaps more easily justifiable given his background and the especially exacting challenge presented by the Trump administration ― though appointing Labour peer Peter Mandelson to Washington did not work out well for the UK, whose new prime minister is apparently on the cusp of appointing a professional diplomat to the position.

This month has seen the end of their terms in South Africa of several senior European diplomats — EU and German ambassadors Sandra Kramer and Andreas Peschke, and UK high commissioner Antony Phillipson. South Africa is a highly prized posting. But Pretoria (and the department) are not always easy. The common thread has been that each of these career diplomats, in their distinctive ways, showed agility and emotional intelligence in engaging with their South African counterparts, enabling them to build both respect and trust.

Inexplicably never published by the government ― though it found its way onto the internet ― the task team’s recommendations carry even more weight now given the additional structural instability the seven subsequent years have delivered. Sisulu’s successor, Naledi Pandor, agreed with the core idea of an upgraded diplomatic academy and it was referred to favourably in the 2020 budget speech.

Now is the time to return to the question of how South Africa can raise its diplomatic game, building on the success of its G20 presidency last year and the principled stand it adopted with the International Court of Justice case against Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Diplomacy requires skilled diplomats. And with all due respect, the short training course that newly appointed heads of mission receive with the department can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.

• Calland is visiting adjunct professor at the Wits School of Governance and director of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership Africa.