Dear editor
In response to a DA question in today’s parliamentary sitting, President Cyril Ramaphosa could not confirm whether South Africa’s ambassadorial nominee to the United States of America (USA) will be a professional and non-partial career diplomat, rather than another cadre deployee.
The President’s vague response did not engender confidence that South Africa’s export businesses, upon which tens of thousands of South African jobs depend, can expect a repair to the strained relationship with the USA using diplomatic channels.
The President’s failure to confirm that the next ambassador would not be an ANC member means that we risk another ambassador that focuses on the interests of the party and not the state.
The DA demands that our country nominate a professional non-political, suitably skilled person to head up South Africa’s foreign mission in Washington D.C. to urgently resolve trade disputes in order to protect critical South African jobs.
Washington is no place for cadre deployment, and now, more than ever, South Africa needs to approach this diplomatic appointment with the seriousness it requires.
The ANC has a long history of using South Africa’s foreign service as either a retirement plan for aging party loyalists, or an oversees jaunt for loyal cadres.
The ANC has not used South Africa’s vast diplomatic footprint to prioritise South Africa’s interests, or advance investment into South Africa.
The DA has long maintained our opposition to cadre deployment, and it is crucial that South Africa recruit and appoint skilled professionals to the foreign service, particularly in the USA in the current climate, in the interests of protecting South African jobs and foreign direct investment.
It is also time for the ANC to respect the GNU’s statement of intent when pursuing foreign policy, and the national interest in our new coalition landscape, to reposition South Africa as a nation that seeks to become more prosperous and internationally respected, rather than self-sabotage at the altar of outdated party-political international alliances.
As we approach this crucial next step in the SA-US relationship, South Africa cannot afford ANC muscle memory.
The current national government is not a single party administration, and the interests of South Africa matter more than the interests of the ANC.
Regards
Ryan Smith MP
DA Spokesperson on International Relations and Cooperation