Uncertainty clouds Sizani’s clearance for ambassadorship

FORMER ANC chief whip Stone Sizani’s pending ambassadorial posting to Germany is clouded in uncertainty, as he has still not received his top security clearance.

The South African government has also not yet asked for an agrément – a diplomatic agreement from the German government to have Sizani as ambassador.

While the Department of International Relations would not be drawn into discussing postings, a well placed official confirmed to the Sunday Times that Sizani had still not received security clearance, about seven weeks after resigning from parliament and being announced as the next ambassador.

The ambassadorial post in Berlin, in Europe’s biggest economy and one of South Africa’s biggest trading partners, has been vacant since December when Makhenkesi Stofile retired.

“The vetting process is not complete.

“In other words he has not received his security clearance. Now you can read what you may want into that,” the official said.

“All foreign ambassadors are accredited. You have to accredit these nominees before they can be called an ambassador.

“You cannot be announced [as nominee] because it’s possible that the vetting process may throw you out.

“This is why when asked about any particular individual, we never confirm such things,” the official said.

He said the idea of announcing anyone as a nominee to country was frowned on in diplomatic protocol anyway, because it robbed either country of an opportunity to vet the nominee and satisfy themselves about meeting the criteria.

German embassy spokesman Reiner Breul said whenever a country decided to nominate, an agrément was requested.

This was then considered by the host government, which would study whether a person “maybe in the past has been unfriendly to our country”.

“But so far we have not been asked for the agrément. That’s more of a formal process. It’s very unusual for someone to not get the agrément,” Breul said.

“Security clearance is by the South African government. That does not involve us.

“Once we have been asked to give agrément there is an internal process for our government to look at the candidate.

“I cannot disclose what that involves. But it is very rare that an agrément is not given,” Breul said.

Tom Wheeler, former SA Institute for International Affairs research associate and former South African ambassador to Turkey, said the outgoing ambassador would normally present the name of the newly nominated ambassador to the host government.

“They would make inquiries about the person to see if they regard him as a fit and proper person,” Wheeler said.

International Relations spokesman Clayson Monyela would not comment.