Others who rocked the boat

South Africa has had its fair share of controversial diplomats:

Earlier this month, South Africa recalled its ambassador to The Netherlands, Bruce Koloane, after he confessed to the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture he had abused his powers to facilitate the 2013 landing of the Gupta’s aircraft at the high security Waterkloof air base in Tshwane. The airbase is a National Key Point and only the president and foreign heads of state are authorised to use it.

Pandor told parliament recently: “I have decided it would be in the public interest to transfer Koloane back to head office in Pretoria. A letter to this effect was sent to him on August 12. In terms of the provisions of the law, we allowed the ambassador the opportunity to make representations as to why he should not be transferred back.” Koloane resigned.

Another controversial envoy was former journalist Jon Qwelane, SA commissioner to Uganda, who wrote a gay-bashing column for a Sunday newspaper in 2008. He was found guilty by a high court of hate speech and in 2017 ordered to make an unconditional apology to the gay community. His diplomatic posting was not renewed.

In June, SA’s ambassador to Denmark, Zindzi Mandela-Hlongwane, issued a tweet that led to AfriForum and the Freedom Front Plus calling for her axing. She tweeted: “Dear Apartheid Apologists, your time is over. You will not rule again. We do not fear you. Finally #TheLandIsOurs.”