New Bureau of African Heads of Mission engage Continental Bodies

14 September 2022

At a meeting held in Tshwane of African Heads of Mission based in South Africa as well as invited guests, Dean of the African Heads of Mission Andre Nzapayeke and Ambassador of the Central African Republic to South Africa took the opportunity to announce the new Bureau of African Heads of Mission. Nzapayeke also invited the President of the Pan African Parliament (PAP) to expound on PAP’s new vision and the CEO of the African Peer Review Mechanism to talk on the challenges of migration that is affecting the entire continent.

Nzapayeke took over the deanship from Ambassador Salih Omar Abdu of Eritrea on 6 June 2022 and he thanked Abdu for his valuable insights and contributions to the African Bureau during his tenor. Omar Abdu has since succeeded Ambassador Bene M’Poko as Dean of the Diplomatic Corps. The new Bureau has High Commissioner of Mauritius, P Vijaye Lutchmun as the Deputy Dean, Ambassador of Senegal, Safiatou Ndiaye as Rapporteur, Ambassador of Mauritania, Jarr Inalla as Treasurer and High Commissioner of Malawi, Stella Chiripo Ndau in charge of Communications.

The meeting was held at the City of Tshwane Council Chambers where Speaker of the City of Tshwane Dr Murunwa Makwarela spoke broadly about South Africa’s international relations and its impact on the City. Tshwane is a global hub for diplomacy and is host to one of the largest foreign representations in the world. This includes international organizations like the United Nations and its agencies, the World Bank, IOM and many more. Many countries have chosen Tshwane as their base for non-resident accreditation to countries in the neighbouring SADC region, southern Africa and some even further afield. Africa remains the focal point of South Africa’s international relations policy, said Makwarela.

President of the Pan African Parliament (PAP) Chief Fortune Zephania Charumbira made a presentation on reinvigorating this vital African Institution which was established in March 2004. The measures taken to counter the spread of the COVID 19 pandemic and disagreements over the election of a new Bureau in 2021 had seriously disrupted the function of the PAP. One of the issues that was tackled to allow for fairness, equity and unity with the Organ and to bring about predictability was rotational leadership. “Rotational leadership brings predictability, predictability breeds certainty, certainty fosters stability and stability engenders peace,” said Charumbira. He called on African Diplomats to act as PAP’s ‘brand ambassadors’ in African Union Member States, as the newly elected Bureau embarks on a journey to “revive, renew, reposition, and reinvigorate” the continental Parliament.

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To further the collaborative and integration process currently underway, Prof Eddie Maloka, CEO of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) emphasized that the APRM is a mutually agreed instrument voluntarily acceded to by AU member states as an African self-monitoring mechanism. It is an Organ for promoting good governance across the African Continent.

An issue at the forefront of what many African Ambassadors in South Africa have to deal with is the recurring xenophobic uprisings that cost lives and livelihoods. Maloka brought up the issue of the zama zamas (hustlers) that recently made headlines saying that the issues of migration are an African problem and that continental solutions need to be found.

At the continental level there has been a discussion about migration issues in the context of xenophobic challenges facing the continent. There was a decision by the assembly of the AU to convene a continental conference working with IOM that is currently in its planning stages and will probably take place in Uganda in December 2022, said Maloka.

Maloka proposed that the African Bureau together with the APRM organize a national dialogue on the challenges of migration in South Africa. “South Africa is the geographic location but the problem is continental and it is the citizens of the African countries who are affected by this matter. We should all share in addressing the challenges and carrying the burden because it affects us all as African people,” said Maloka.

Nzapayeke proposed that two groups of African Ambassadors be formed to work more closely with PAP and the APRM respectively and to facilitate better communication channels and address challenges. Ambassadors from Uganda, Egypt, Kenya, Congo Brazzaville, Mali and Zimbabwe volunteered to work with PAP with Egypt as its coordinator.

The group to work closely with the APRM are Ethiopia, Somalia, Cameroon, Libya, Morocco, Burundi, Uganda and Mauritius with Somalia as its coordinator.

TDS