I have today received a parliamentary reply from the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, which reveals that her department will be taking no action against South Africa’s High Commissioner to Uganda, Jon Qwelane.

Qwelane has in the past made disparaging remarks about gay and lesbian people. That the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (DIRCO) has seen fit to appoint him as a representative of South Africa, particularly to a country which has seen vicious homophobic attacks, is a serious error of judgment.

The Minister’s attempt to defend her department’s decision on the grounds that Qwelane’s comments were made “long before his appointment” are neither here nor there. Qwelane’s statements represent deep-seated prejudice, and should have no place in our diplomatic corps. Furthermore, the rescission of the Equality Court finding to which the Minister refers in her reply was decided on the basis of a legal technicality, not on the substance of Qwelane’s problematic comments.

Our ambassadors are supposed to represent the basic provisions of our democracy and encourage their extension to the countries in which they serve if they do not exist there already. One of those provisions is the freedom of sexual orientation. It is quite clear that Jon Qwelane is not up to this task.

I will today be writing to the Chair of the International Relations and Cooperation portfolio committee to ask that the Minister offers a full explanation to the committee for her decision not to recall Mr Qwelane.