Ramaphosa cautions heads of embassies in SA to stop public criticism of host govt

President Cyril Ramaphosa has cautioned heads of embassies in South Africa to refrain from publicly criticising their host government.

Ramaphosa received letters of credence from 20 heads of mission-designate on Wednesday, officially confirming them as ambassadors and diplomatic representatives to South Africa.

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Among them is the United States (US) ambassador, Brent Bozell, who was recently reprimanded by the Department of International Relations Cooperation (DIRCO) for criticising a court ruling on the “kill the Boer” chant.

Ramaphosa further told the envoys that mutual respect is the golden principle of diplomacy.

“Whenever I send our ambassadors and high commissioners to various countries, I always make it a point to inform them that they should never criticise our host countries publicly and in a confrontational manner, but to always seek to raise issues privately and constructively.”

He added that any diplomatic concerns must be raised with DIRCO.

“It is this approach that I believe builds strong relationships between nations and helps to advance the interests of our respective countries based on mutual respect and dignity.”