DIRCO Annual Report

4.2 State Protocol and Consular Services The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have tested the globalised world and its impact has affected diplomatic operations across the world, as meetings, conferences and other major international events were cancelled. In an effort to contain the spread of the virus, almost all countries imposed travel restrictions. The restrictions on movement and closure of international borders were unavoidable. During the period under review, the branch can highlight the following milestones: The branch continued to play a pivotal role in the coordination of the international engagements of our political principals. The travel restrictions, which were brought about as a result of the pandemic, did not allow contact meetings between political leaders and their foreign counterparts. However, in spite of the pandemic, governments continued to function as did international engagements, albeit on digital platforms. The branch, through its lounges, facilitated 2 719 VIPs. SPCS staff work on a rotational basis in facilitating VIPs. Also, due to COVID-19 and the lockdown restrictions, the volume of operational activities has decreased, as VIPs are not travelling as frequently as they used to. In addition, the directorate provided support during the repatriation of South Africans in distress from abroad. The easing of travel restrictions towards the second quarter of 2020 heralded a resumption of contact meetings between our political principals and foreign counterparts. For the said period, a total of 15 incoming official/working visits were undertaken to South Africa by foreign dignitaries. Three outgoing visits were undertaken by the President. A number of private visits by foreign dignitaries to South Africa were also undertaken during this period. The current trend with these engagements is to have smaller delegations and visits are being undertaken for shorter periods. We are also seeing an increase in the deployment of special envoys by heads of state and government to convey messages to the principals. In addition, the traditional ceremonial events, which precede engagements between heads of state and government, i.e. 21 gun salutes and inspections of the guard, are no longer possible and the implementation of a reduction of courtesies has been implemented. As a consequence of the aforementioned, a significant saving on expenditure for “Goods and

Services”was realised. However, towards the latter part of the 2020/21 financial year, there was a steady increase in both incoming and outgoing visits. When physical engagements were halted, the branch had to adjust its policies/guidelines to ensure continued protocol support to the principals during virtual engagements and to comply with COVID-19 protocols. It would, therefore, be remiss to not plan and budget for a further increase of visits based on these trends. In line with the revised guidelines developed by the branch, the delivery of messages by South African Cabinet ministers on behalf of the country during resident National Day celebrations, moved to a digital platform. In addition, with regard to official funerals that took place during the period under review, the diplomatic community was no longer expected to sign condolence books, but, instead, sent digital messages to the families concerned. Furthermore, COVID-19 provided an opportunity for the branch to save costs associated with the credentials ceremony. When attending the credentials ceremony, the new normal has necessitated that heads of mission-designate use their own transport to and from the ceremony, to comply with health protocols. In terms of the Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges Act (DIPA) (2001), the Branch is tasked with regulating the Diplomatic Corps, numbering in excess of 10 000, and has successfully implemented an above-average business processing turn-around time for all its related services. As host to one of the largest concentration of diplomats globally, the department continued to provide support to the foreign diplomatic and consular officials accredited to the Republic of South Africa. Administratively, the COVID-19 pandemic and various lockdowns have impacted on the ability of the department to timeously confer and manage diplomatic immunities and privileges. An ongoing challenge, which the department wishes to highlight, and which is being addressed, is the abuse of privileges. The duty-free shops have been identified as a high-risk environment where the abuse of diplomatic privileges has led to substantial losses to the fiscus. A number of foreign missions were identified, where diplomatic and consular agents abused the privileges accorded to them for personal gain, through the resale of

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