Dietrichsen is one of that dwindling band of diplomats who represented both the apartheid regime and South Africa’s new democracy led by President Nelson Mandela.

His memoir contains gems of a unique history that includes the complex and often exasperating transition between the two.

Dietrichsen writes in a detailed, discursive manner that reminds one of the procedural style adopted by writers of the increasingly popular Nordic Noir genre.

Presumably he owes this either to the kilometers of diplomatic drafts he was required to write in a 35 year career in the foreign service or to his Danish heritage, which explains the puzzling title of the book.

Full disclosure, I did military service with the author in D company of the Army Gymnasium in 1967.

He went on to graduate from the Military Academy in Saldhana Bay. He hung up is uniform in 1972 to join the foreign service.

Over the years, we met up a receptions and foreign affairs events – he as a diplomat and public servant, me as a journalist.

This book puts meat on the bones of what I learned about his rather stellar career.

More importantly, it is a concise and well constructed history of the demise of apartheid and the birth of South Africa’s democracy.

Apart from experiences abroad, he played a role driving the rapprochement with neighbouring Mozambique through the Nkomati Accord; in the eventual inauguration of Nelson Mandela as president; and in the formation of the diverse new Department of International Relations.

The book  is elaborately  embroidered with his personal experiences and family tales. 

His three daughters, who have personally distinguished themselves thanks to or perhaps despite his unsettled diplomatic wanderings, add a colourful tailpiece to the book.

They were clearly inspired by their father’s sense of curiosity and adventure and took full advantage of the opportunities provided by his peripatetic lifestyle.

Dietrichsen overcame the disappointment at being pushed aside to make way for an “affirmative” appointment , having been named as ambassador to Indonesia and received agrement  from the host government.

He went on to become ambassador to Switzerland  Liechtenstein  and Ireland.

He left the department in 2007 to accompany his wife on her posting to Hanoi. 

Never one to put up his feet, he has embarked on an academic career training the leaders of tomorrow.

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He asks that the public understand their fear and apprehension at their ordeal a foreign country.

Martin Schäfer presages his remarks about the tourists by saying we are all together in the fight against the Covid 19 pandemic and must accept the official restrictions.

The German Ambassador’s spoken to top officials at the Departments of Tourism and of International Relations and Cooperation and has had every courtesy and assistance.

His job is now to ensure the well being and safe repatriation of the tourists and the 7 to 10 000 Germans stranded in South Africa. 

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Director of International Coordination at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation Zaheer Laher tells the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria that this approach is central to South Africa’s participation as a rotating member of the United Nations Security Council.

A quarter of the way through South Africa’s two year term on the United Nations powerhouse, the Institute for Security Studies is hosting a forum looking at how its has been doing.

DIRCO’s top international relations official Zaheer Laher says there’s been criticism about advocating more talks rather punitive action on Venezuela.

“Part of the process, political dialogue would have come in almost every intervention we have made in the Security Council in the last six months and in our previous terms on the body. This is not an accident, South Africa will always emphasize the importance of political dialogue,” he says

Recent action, including Norway’s involvement as mediator in Venezuela, has vindicated South Africa’s support for dialogue rather than the big stick.

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Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Lindiwe Sisulu made the proposal while addressing  the diplomatic corps in Pretoria today

She later noted to a media briefing that no Nigerian envoy had leapt up to accept it.

Foreign Minister Lindiwe Sisulu says there’s nothing unusual about delaying elections to avert a national disaster.

South Africa completely understands Nigeria’s position, she says, and remains ready to help in any way.

“We stand ready as  the IEC to assist in any country that is having problems with elections because we count ourselves as one of the best commissions on elections and we have been asked by several countries,” she said

Sisulu says South Africa hopes very soon to learn what has caused the delay and that very soon there will be elections in Nigeria

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She says every effort is made to ensure they have consular access.

A fifth of the South Africans in foreign jails have been convicted of drug offences in South American countries.

At least 98 people are being held in China on alleged visa irregularities.

Foreign Minister Lindiwe Sisulu says officials are in touch with the family of English teacher Tristan-Lee Niemand being denied consular access where she held in Jiangsu on visa offenses.

Sisulu urges South Africans planning to teach English in China to check with authorities that they have the correct documentation.

South Africans travelling abroad must ensure they have legal documents and visas.

They just familiarize themselves with details of South African diplomatic missions in their countries of destination and remember the DIRCO telephone number 012 351 1000.

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The Department of International Relations and Cooperation says peace in this west Sudan province is vital to national reconciliation and post-conflict recovery for that country.

The peace process in Darfur in what was once the world’s worst humanitarian crisis falls under the mediation of former President Thabo Mbeki.

The prenegotiation agreement signed in Berlin last week was financed by the so-called troika on Darfur: Britain, the United States and Norway.

The DIRCO statement pays tribute to the work of South African diplomat Kingley Mamabolo as the joint chief negotiator for the United Nations African Union Hybrid Mission in Darfur known as UNAMID.

DIRCO says Mamabolo played a vital role in building trust and instilling confidence in the peace process.

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The undertaking comes from Finnish ambassador Kari Alanko at his national day celebration in Pretoria.

Finland’s Ambassador Kari Alanko says he’s proudly representing the country adjudged to be the happiest on the planet.

But he sounds a note of warning that with increasing nationalism and unilateralism the multilateral international governance system cannot be taken for granted.

Chief Operations Officer at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation Ibrahim Saley says South Africa and others cannot survive in a world where the whim of the powerful dictates the course of events.

The world must learn the lesson of the two great wars and cherish the peace that has followed them.

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Kiev’s chief envoy in Pretoria Liubov Abravitova says she’s looking for South Africa to support punitive measures against Moscow’s violation of international law.

Liubov Abravitova  says South Africa is forced  to take a more considered view of international affairs as it takes up its rotating seat on the United Nations Security Council for the third time.

She’s expecting dramatically increased support for sanctions against Russia for violating international law by annexing Crimea in its aggression against Ukraine

She’s looking to South Africa to support tough measures like a trade boycott, despite its close ties with Russia through the BRICS grouping.

At very least she would expect South Africa to abstain in a vote on sanctions against Russia.

Abravitova says she building a permanent channel of communication with the Department of International Relations and Cooperation to pass on Ukraine’s message to South Africa

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Deputy Director General for Asia and the Middle East at the Department of International Relations, Anil Sooklal says the countries have a population the size of the European Union which has South Africa’s largest trading partner.

Ambassador Anikl Sooklal was speaking at a  seminar at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation organized to mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with Malasia, the Phillipines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Sooklal says South Africa’s political ties with all four countries are very strong. People to people relations are growing. Yet economic links remain moderate.

“Are we using our relations to best effect and with enough energy. I don’t think so,” he said

He says economic relations have to be improved for the good of the country and region.

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The cooperation agreement signed between the IEC and DIRCO will enable South African expatriates and travelers to register and vote at the embassy or consulate nearest them.

Since the national and provincial elections of 1999, DIRCO has assisted the IEC with the voting of South African citizens abroad. 

Ahead of the national and provincial elections next year, and following the amendments to the Electoral Act, DIRCO extended its assistance to include voter registration applications through missions abroad.

The websites of the two bodies give details of how South Africans abroad can get onto the voters’ roll to enable them to cast their ballots next year.

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