Parliament, Wednesday, 28 June 2023 – The Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation has today successfully conducted an oversight visit to the South African Embassy in Berlin where it, among other things, assessed the performance of the embassy on the implementation of South Africa’s foreign policy.
The committee is currently on an oversight visit to Funchal, Portugal and Germany to assess the performance of the embassies on their implementation of the South African Foreign Policy and their readiness to implement the Foreign Service Act. The committee’s visit to the European countries is very urgent, as the Department of International Relations and Cooperation is currently focusing on the disposal of vacant state owned properties in Europe.
The oversight visit is also part of the committee’s oversight programme to monitor and follow-up on the undertakings that the department has made, including ensuring that the South African Missions with vacant state owned land are developed.
The department reported to the committee that there are 14 land parcels, which have been undeveloped for more than 20 years in countries, such as, New Delhi in India, Juba in South Sudan, Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, Kigali in Rwanda, Dakar in Senegal Bamako in Mali, Mbabane in Swaziland and Gaborone in Botswana.
The department further reported that there are more vacant or unused offices in countries such as, Blantyre in Malawi, Walvis Bay in Namibia, Banjul in Gambia, Sao Paulo and Brasilia in Brazil, Zurich in Switzerland, Funchal in Portugal, Paris’ Parking Bay in France.
The Auditor General has also made findings that the department is paying exorbitant rental fees where the embassies own vacant properties in Europe. The committee also discovered that the department has to pay service providers either for cleaning, security, painting, and general maintenance for the upkeep of empty state owned properties in Europe. It views this practice as creating a perpetual trend of fruitless and wasteful expenditure for the department.
Committee Chairperson, Mr Supra Mahumapelo, said: “This oversight is very important to the work of the committee. We need to satisfy ourselves that all the necessary professional assessments were done and how the department arrived at the decision to dispose of these vacant state owned properties.”
He added: “These properties are of high value, situated at prime areas and as the Committee we need to assess the levels of dilapidation of the concerned properties before the department implements its decision to dispose of these properties.”
The committee will make its own findings, from which in turn it would develop its own oversight related recommendations aimed at assisting the department to address the issue of vacant state owned properties in Europe.
Details of the oversight visit programme are as follows:
Day 4: Thursday 29 June 2023
Morning: Departs Funchal, Madeira, Portugal for Bonn, Cologne, Germany
Day 5: Friday, 30 June 2023
Morning: Briefing by the Embassy from Berlin on the processes around and the status of the vacant state-owned properties in Bonn
Afternoon: Inspection of the 2 vacant state owned properties in Bonn, Cologne, Germany
Day 6: Saturday, 1 July 2023,
Afternoon: Departs Bonn to Berlin, Germany
Day 7: Sunday, 2 July 2023
Morning: Meet and greet at the South African Embassy in Berlin
Afternoon: Visits the Bunderstag (Parliament); Bradenburg Gate, any other place of historical significance as recommended by the embassy
Day 8: Monday, 3 July 2023
Oversight at Embassy in Berlin, Germany; Political briefing, SBMs, Status of the Mission in Berlin (Concept Paper items)
Day 9: Tuesday, 4 July 2023
Morning: Inspection of State owned properties under the care of Embassy Berlin, Germany
Day 10: Wednesday, 5 July 2023
Morning: Departs Berlin to Paris
Evening: Depart Paris to Johannesburg
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION, MR SUPRA MAHUMAPELO
For media enquiries, interviews with the Chairperson or to cover any of the oversight visits, please contact the committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Nolizwi Magwagwa (Ms)
Parliamentary Communication Services
Mobile: 081 716 5824 (Communication via WhatsApp is also allowed)
Email: nmagwagwa@parliament.gov.za
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