The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has revealed that maintaining South Africa's 114 foreign missions costs over R300 million per year. In an effort to reduce these costs, the department has been selling off under-utilized properties. International Relations director general Zane Dangor has cautioned that closing foreign missions could have negative consequences for the country's global influence, stakeholder engagement, and trade.
The government property portfolio abroad is estimated to be worth R5 billion, comprising 174 state-owned and 666 rented properties. However, DIRCO has stated that it lacks the budget and expertise to maintain these properties. Several missions also have unfilled vacancies. Dangor has emphasized that the economic and political importance of maintaining missions in strategic countries cannot be separated.
A 2021 Cabinet decision to close some missions has been reconsidered, with Finland and Oman being cited as examples. Dangor noted that closing the mission in Finland was found to be a mistake, and similar risks have been identified in Oman. He stressed that countries with aspirations to be influential on the global stage have large diplomatic footprints.
Dangor has highlighted that South Africa's diplomatic footprint is not among the largest, but the cost of maintaining chanceries and staffing them has earned the department another qualified audit opinion for the last financial year. The department has attempted to rationalize the size of its missions to achieve more with less.
The department is exploring ways to leverage attaché roles from other departments to bolster its efforts. Dangor emphasized that maintaining missions in strategic countries is crucial for the country's economic and political interests. He noted that countries with significant diplomatic footprints are able to engage with a range of stakeholders and trade effectively.
DIRCO's efforts to reduce costs have included selling off under-utilized properties, but the department still faces significant challenges in maintaining its foreign missions. The Auditor General has previously raised concerns about the department's ability to manage its properties abroad.
The debate around the cost of maintaining foreign missions is ongoing, with some members of Parliament pushing for a clearer understanding of the monetary value brought to the country by its 114 missions. Dangor's comments have highlighted the complexities involved in reducing the department's costs while maintaining its diplomatic footprint.
Key points
- DIRCO's foreign missions cost over R300 million to maintain annually
- Closing foreign missions could have negative consequences for South Africa's global influence and trade
- The government property portfolio abroad is estimated to be worth R5 billion
