Foreign Minister Nkosazana Zuma is pleased to announce the following appointments as heads of South African Diplomatic Missions abroad:
Mr B Sifingo High Commissioner: Lagos, Nigeria
Mr Bangumzi Sifingo (44) has been involved in trade union activities since the 1980s, when he became a member of the South African Congress of Trade Unions (SACTU). Between 1984 and 1988 he was the International Officer at the SACTU headquarters, and from 1988 to 1991 he was SACTU Representative in North America. Since 1991 he held various positions at COSATU, including as member of the Executive Committee and as head of the international section. He also represented COSATU at the OAU.
Mr Sifingo studied towards a BA International Politics degree at the University of South Africa and also holds a Diploma in Public Relations from Damelin College.
Mr A Jaquet High Commissioner: Ottawa, Canada
Mr André Jaquet (55) is a career diplomat and has served in London, Paris, Montreal (as Head of Mission) and Washington, and was South Africa's Ambassador to Switzerland between 1991 and 1995. During his home postings he was responsible inter alia for relations with Francophone Africa and with USA and Canada. Between 1987 and 1991 he was Director for relations with Namibia and Angola, and served as a member of the team that negotiated the independence of Namibia. After his return to South Africa from Switzerland, Mr Jaquet was Executive Director of UNCTAD IX. Mr Jaquet is at present Chief Director responsible for the Americas.
Mr J Ndou High Commissioner: Harare, Zimbabwe
Mr Jerry Ndou (38) served as a special assistant to the MEC for Finance in the Northern Province, after which he was part of the contingent from the ANC International Affairs Department to join the Department of Foreign Affairs.
He later became a member of Parliament in 1996, and served in the following committees: Foreign Affairs, Finance, Environment and Tourism. He also chaired the ad hoc Committee on Youth, which was charged with the establishment of the National Youth Commission.
He studied at the University of the North, and attended various training courses in Tanzania and the University of the Western Cape.
Mr D van Tonder Ambassador: Kiev, Ukraine
Mr Delarey van Tonder (44) previously served as Counsellor at the South African Embassy in Washington, where he was Head of the Public Affairs Division. He completed various diploma study courses while he serving in Washington, including a Diploma in Preventative Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Diplomacy, and advanced courses respectively in Strategic Management in Diplomacy at the Washington University School of Diplomacy and Economical Diplomacy at the International Monetary Fund.
He served in the Africa Branch of the Department, with specific responsibility for Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
Mr van Tonder holds a BA degree from the University of Pretoria and completed a course study for a Masters degree at the George Washington School of Diplomacy in 1993. He is married, with two young children.
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
PRETORIA
25 JUNE 1999