Salute to our diplomatic corps

The South African Consular General in New York and the South African Ambassador to the UN, the South African Deputy Minister of International relations and the Ambassador of South Africa to the USA make me proud. What has lacked in domestic politics and from our media has been the articulation of South Africas foreign policy and the values that inform that policy. My time with these members of the diplomatic corps has given me the hope and belief that as we go about our daily business, in University, at school, at bars, within sports fields and dealing with the issues that define our existence, we must always take the time to remember these great men and women, who have left their homes, family and friends to serve South Africa and Africa abroad. We can also rest assured, knowing that the dreams and aspirations of all Africans in conflict ridden areas of Africa are represented by the governments we have elected, based on the values of ubuntu. The emphasis of the African Agenda is part and parcel of South Africa’s foreign policy; this makes me proud to be a citizen of this great country, and a child of this great continent.

The consulate General was incredible. He is a well-educated, articulate and knowledgeable African who treats every one with kindness and respect and whose heart is firmly rooted in the belief that education and the youth will take Africa forward.  He is fatherly, wise, warm, and stern and commands respect without demanding it. He is open to engagement, passionate about young people, and focused on the resolve that this is going to be Africa’s century.

The ambassador to the UN is as exceptional and his core focus is the strategic imperatives of South Africa in the United Nations. These include the positions for negotiations, drafting of resolutions and lobbying. He is acutely aware of the interest of the Western countries but is convinced that he can out maneuverer this. He cares about the fact that 1973 has gone wrong, and remains principled about dialogue and negotiation being South Africa’s core problem solving method. His history goes back to his days in the AU and he has served in the international relations wing of government for 9 years now, first as the ambassador to the AU and then now to the UN. He has been solid in his views about the UN and its role in the resolution of conflict and securing the security and stability of the world.

The South African mission to the UN too is doing incredible work.  They explained to us the complication of negotiations, the complex nature of lobbying and the incredible amount of hours that goes in to the resolutions of the UN, including the South African strategies and the values that inform this. The delegate to the Security Council gave us the opportunity to look realistic at the power relations and the undemocratic nature of the P5 system of the UN. She reminded us of the complications in the UN and the desperate reform of the UN which will better distribute power and ensure that we end the cycle where the dominating powers continue to exclusively hold executive positions whilst the dominated continue to have no say in global politics.

Finally, the entire tour of New York was incredible. The UN headquarters, Wall Street and others were great to see. We saw the beautiful sights yes, but I got to engage with the people socially, in bars, at the hostel, on the streets, in the subways. I took the opportunity to travel to Harlem to see the place. I travelled to Harlem and to China Town, where I myself saw firsthand the global nature of poverty and desperation. Walking down china town, feels like walking downtown Johanesburg at park station. The desperation in the air, where you can feel the poverty, and discontent in the air, where there is a rat race to see if one will have something to eat tonight. Relative to where they are, these citizens of the world continue to scramble. I saw dirty alleys, homeless people, and drunken youth. I was reminded by this solo escapade that the challenges we face in South Africa of improving the socio-economic conditions of all our peoples is a global challenge. Inequality is global. I was hurt most by the fact that it seems that the non European people of the world-black, asian and hispanic, no matter where they may be on the globe, noting the exceptions, continue to struggle to make ends meet and continue to struggle to advance their dreams and aspirations of a better life. They remain locked in a perpetual cycle of poverty, where the escape from such conditions remains a slow and exclusive process.