International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola has revealed a plot to persuade fellow African ambassadors to boycott this year’s Africa Day Celebrations in North West, accusing a top diplomat from the Central African Republic of orchestrating the move.
Speaking on Sunday at the close of the SADC Foreign Ministers’ summit in Mpumalanga, Lamola told reporters that he became aware of efforts to use a WhatsApp group for foreign diplomats to stoke tensions during a period of anti-illegal immigrant protests in South Africa.
“We know that there was an ambassador who was instigating the boycott, but the rest and the majority of the African ambassadors based in South Africa rejected the instigation,” Lamola said.
He explained that the South African government had been engaging proactively with resident ambassadors from across the continent, adding that he himself met with them during the early stages of the recent social unrest.
Sources from the international relations department have identified the ambassador as André Nzapayeke of the Central African Republic (CAR). According to those sources, Nzapayeke’s strained relations with Pretoria stem from a decision that his country should cover his rental expenses—a cost previously borne by South Africa’s diplomatic department.
Despite the friction, Lamola reaffirmed that South Africa remains open to dialogue, particularly with ambassadors whose nationals have been affected by anti-foreigner protests. He noted that the department’s deputy director-general, together with South African police services, held engagements with all resident African ambassadors to seek solutions for foreign nationals of African descent caught up in the unrest.
Lamola’s statements come as several countries, including Ghana, have begun screening their citizens in South Africa and making preparations for their repatriation in light of continued anti-immigration demonstrations.
