Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
MEDIA STATEMENT ON THE APPOINTMENT OF A NEW SOUTH AFRICAN HIGH COMMISSIONER AND AMBASSADOR
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Alfred Nzo, today announced the appointment by President Mandela respectively of Mr Mbulelo Rakwena as South Africa's High Commissioner to Mauritius and Mr Pieter Swanepoel as South Africa's Ambassador to Mexico.
CURRICULUM VITAE
MBULELO RAKWENA
DATE OF BIRTH 5 April 1962 PLACE OF BIRTH Dobsonville, South Africa MARITAL STATUS Married, three children
QUALIFICATIONS
1980-1983 Priesthood Studies 1985-1987 B Proc (not completed), University of South Africa 1990 Certificate Programme on Industrial Relations, Business School of the University of the Witwatersrand. 1993 Effective and Dynamic Management, ORT STEP Institute.
Mr Rakwena also attended courses at various overseas institutes on aspects of industrial relations, conflict resolution, labour studies, leadership development and media communication and publicity.
He is currently studying for the Business Management Diploma.
CAREER
Mr Rakwena started his career in 1981 at Pick 'n Pay (Pty) Ltd. During 1983/1984 he was freelance journalist at the Sowetan Newspaper.
Between 1984 and 1989 Mr Rakwena was involved with the Black Allied Mining and Construction Workers Union, rising to the position of Deputy Secretary General. From 1990 to 1994 he was Executive Director of the Community Development Foundation. In 1995 he was a consultant with Liberty Life and in 1996 was appointed Business Development Director at Tholwana - MIB Insurance Brokers.
Mr Rakwena joined the Department of Foreign Affairs in February 1997 as Director at the SADC Directorate.
GENERAL
Mr Rakwena became a member of the Azanian's Peoples' Organisation (AZAPO) in 1982, and headed their Foreign Affairs Department between 1991 and 1994.
During 1993/1994 Mr Rakwena was a board member of ORT STEP Institute as well as a board member and chairman of the management committee of the People's Agricultural Development. Since 1995 he is a trustee member of the President Mandela's Children's Trust.
He has given numerous talks and lectures while on visits abroad.
Mr Rakwena speaks the following languages: Tswana, Sepedi, Zulu, Xhosa, Sesotho, English, Afrikaans and Swazi.
CURRICULUM VITAE
PIETER ANDRIES SWANEPOEL
DATE OF BIRTH 19 April 1948 PLACE OF BIRTH Johannesburg, South Africa MARITAL STATUS Married, two children
QUALIFICATIONS
1954-1965 Attended Primary and Secondary Schools at Kroonstad and Bloemfontein 1967 Economic exchange student with Ford, Germany 1969 Bachelor of Administration degree, University of Pretoria 1970 Bachelor of Administration (Honours) in International Politics, University of Pretoria
CAREER
1970 Joined South African Foreign Service Feb 1973 South African Embassy in Australia July 1977 South African Embassy in London Apr 1979 North American Desk, Department of Foreign Affairs 1981 Parliamentary Officer Nov 1981 Counsellor, South African Embassy in Washington DC Jan 1987 Director: Communications Planning - responsible for among others the Department of Foreign Affairs's Guest Section June 1989 Director: Ministerial Liaison within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs March 1991 Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa to Portugal July 1995 Director: Departmental and Ministerial Media Liaison, Department of Foreign Affairs
GENERAL
During 1988 Mr Swanepoel attended the General Assembly meeting of the United Nations in New York.
Upon the termination of his mission as South African Ambassador to Portugal in 1995, Mr Swanepoel was decorated with the "Grand Cross of the Order of Henry the Navigator" by the Government of Portugal.
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS PRETORIA 06 JANUARY 1998