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Diplomatic scandals tar Pretoria’s image around the world

Publish date: 14 June 2021
Issue Number: 926
Diary: IBA Legalbrief Africa
Category: Corruption

SA is expected to expel more than 200 diplomats – from 10 African countries – over a multimillion-dollar duty-free alcohol scandal. At the same time, notes Legalbrief, Pretoria says it is now monitoring the behaviour of its foreign-based diplomats as well as its overseas ‘assets’ which include a parking bay in Paris, a washing machine in Havana and a house with a filthy swimming pool in Luanda. Seventeen diplomats, including Duwa Mutharika, daughter of the late Malawi President Bingu Wa Mutharika and the niece of the former President Peter Mutharika, were shown the door last week. Rapport notes that the South African Revenue Services says it uncovered a wide-scaled illicit scheme where the diplomats would buy and on-sell duty-free alcohol and cigarettes that cheated the fiscus out of R100m per month. The diplomats allegedly ran ‘backyard shebeens’ that netted them millions of rands during last year’s Covid-19 lockdown level when the sale of alcohol was prohibited in SA. The diplomats allegedly bought discounted alcohol at duty-free shops, and sold it at a profit.

Full report in Rapport

The Department of International Relations & Co-operation (Dirco) spokesperson Clayson Monyela on Saturday confirmed that it gave the first batch of diplomats – 17 from two countries –72 hours to leave SA with their families, after they were declared persona non grata. ‘If they don’t leave within the prescribed period, they will be arrested,’ Monyela warned. The Sunday Independent reports that he couldn’t confirm or deny allegations that some of the diplomats actually owned taverns and shebeens – in SA townships and their respective countries of origin – which they supplied with alcohol from the syndicate. The newspaper says it was told that the 17 diplomats expelled last week are from Lesotho and Malawi. ‘Some of these diplomats were gloating and boasting about the ill-gotten gains on social media,’ one of the investigators has alleged. Sources say the next diplomats that will be booted out of the country are those from Burundi, Guinea and Rwanda.

Full report in The Sunday Independent

The Malawian Government said it had received news of its diplomats' alleged misconduct 'with regret' and said it would punish those involved when they returned home. Voice of America reports that spokesperson Gospel Kazako said the authorities had already spoken to some of the diplomats. ‘According to the Vienna Convention of 1961, diplomats have certain privileges, and one of the privileges is that of not paying tax in the hosting country on certain items and certain services. Alcohol is one of those items,’ Kazako said. John Chikago, Malawi’s former High Commissioner to SA, said the scandal could tarnish the image of Malawian diplomats in other embassies. ‘That is the image we are giving to South Africa – that we are corrupt people, because embassies are the image of Malawi – so it must stop,’ he said.

Full Voice of America report

Meanwhile, a South African diplomat, who allegedly left damages of close to $52 000 to an apartment in Vienna, also allegedly damaged his lodgings at a previous deployment and is still to pay it back. International Relations & Co-operation Minister Naledi Pandor said her department was advised by the mission that there were no arrangements made to pay back damages as the mission did not agree with the landlord's claim. ‘A request for a legal opinion has been submitted, with a view to getting guidance on the legal options available to the department to recover the debt,’ she said. A report on the News24 site notes that Pandor confirmed that there was a similar allegation against the diplomat at a previous posting in India.

Full Fin24 report

Pretoria is also reviewing some of the assets owned by South African missions abroad. Due to decaying state-owned properties, Dirco is forced to spend millions each year on expensive rental properties. The department reportedly spends about $42m per year on leases in countries where it does not own properties, while a string of state-owned land parcels and properties have been standing vacant for nearly two decades. The department's international portfolio is reported to consist of approximately 127 state-owned properties and more than 1 000 rented properties. This was revealed in a recent report to Parliament's Portfolio Committee on International Relations & Co-operation after its virtual oversight visit to SA’s cash missions, missions with vacant land parcels, and state-owned properties abroad. A report on the News24 site notes that several vacant land parcels are now illegally occupied, while properties have been allowed to decay to an extent where authorities have declared them health hazards.

Full Fin24 report

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