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The appointment of State Capture cadre, Ayanda Dlodlo as South African ambassador to France is the latest example of President Cyril Ramaphosa placing the interests of ANC cadres above those of South Africa and its foreign policy.

Ayanda Dlodlo stands accused of gagging an inquiry into former president Jacob Zuma’s private intelligence armed unit, as revealed in the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture in 2021, and faced a Public Protector investigation after having scored millions in a bloated R1,7 billion broadband deal in 2019.

The fact that such a key diplomatic and trading partner such as France, should have Ayanda Dlodlo as its representative of the South African state, is a blight on our foreign service, a stinging insult to the people of South Africa, and another blow to our country’s crumbling international reputation.

The French Republic is currently South Africa’s largest source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) with R20,7 billion pledged by French businesses for South Africa this year alone.

Such a crucial international partner cannot be managed by an individual as severely compromised as Ayanda Dlodlo – an ANC cadre who lacks the requisite integrity and skill to be trusted with a state budget let alone any form of economic diplomacy and international trade.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) condemns this appointment in the strongest possible terms. South Africa’s foreign service cannot be hijacked as a convenient means to sweep ANC corruption under the diplomatic rug.

Our country will never be taken seriously when we send our worst people to represent us to some of our best allies.

As a member of the Government of National Unity (GNU), the DA reiterates our call for a principled foreign policy that places the interests of the people of the republic above those of the ANC. South Africa will never be taken seriously on the international stage if we keep parachuting our most corrupt leaders into some of the most prestigious positions. Our country, and its people, surely deserve better.

Issued by: Ryan Smith MP - DA Spokesperson on International Relations and Cooperation