Parliament, Wednesday, 7 October 2026 – The Standing Committee on Appropriations has said that, following extensive consultations with the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), it has become clear that DIRCO lacks the capability to recover funds owed to South Africa by other governments.
The committee received a briefing on how DIRCO uses its allocations to strengthen South Africa’s sovereignty and global positioning amid growing geopolitical and economic tensions. DIRCO said that, through its budget allocation, it supports a global network of missions across 103 countries in Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, the Americas and the Caribbean.
However, DIRCO declined to disclose to the committee how much each country owes South Africa, citing sensitivity and confidentiality. The committee expressed concern that DIRCO had not disclosed the amounts during the meeting. Given that DIRCO receives R7.2 billion in public funds, the committee maintained that it should be informed which countries owe money and how much has been recovered.
Committee chairperson Dr Mmusi Maimane said that some of the debts were old and had accumulated over time. This indicated that diplomatic channels had not been fruitful, despite the matter having been dealt with by different DIRCO ministers in the past.
“We cannot be naive; we are operating in a volatile and often unpredictable geopolitical climate. Tensions are escalating in various regions, and global realignment is taking place,” said Dr Maimane.
The committee expressed dissatisfaction with the long-standing issue of funds owed to SAA. Zimbabwe owes SAA around one billion rand in ticket-sales revenue from flights operating to and from the country.
Dr Maimane said that, because the matter had been ongoing, the committee considered it important to engage the Department of International Relations and Cooperation to determine where the problem lay and whether it could be resolved through diplomatic channels.
“South African Airways is not operating profitably and is incapable of meeting some of its obligations, yet it is owed much-needed revenue by a neighbouring country. We should be discussing the fact that DIRCO facilitated commitments for this money to be repaid. Sadly, this has not happened,” said Dr Maimane.
The committee further urged DIRCO to establish mechanisms for dealing with countries that refuse to repay their debts to South Africa. It cautioned that maintaining diplomatic relations should not come at the expense of recovering money owed.
“We will continue to pursue this matter, with DIRCO assisting the Department of Transport in recovering unpaid revenue for SAA. SAA cannot be denied funds owed to it for the sake of diplomatic relations while it is in financial difficulty,” said Dr Maimane.
The committee expressed appreciation for DIRCO’s work in promoting South Africa’s interests and image abroad. In due course, the committee will engage further with DIRCO and the National Treasury on debt owed to South Africa.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, DR MMUSI MAIMANE.
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