‘DIRCO foreign missions budget should be used on SA repatriation’ – DA

The Democratic Alliance (DA) is calling on the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) to utilise its budget for foreign missions, on the repatriation of stranded South African citizens instead. 

DA Deputy Shadow Minister for International Relations Mergan Chetty, via a written parliamentary question, said that DIRCO spends an average of R28 million per South African foreign mission annually. Chetty said the top ten missions range from R65 million at the mission in Luanda, Angola to the most expensive being R102 million at Geneva, Switzerland.

FOREIGN MISSIONS BUDGET TO BE USED FOR REPATRIATIONS

The DA, in a statement released on Saturday 9 May, said DIRCO must utilise its budget for foreign missions at this critical time when these foreign missions are needed most for stranded citizens. 

“Somewhere in the range of 3 750 to 4 250 South African citizens have been repatriated but many more remain stranded and are appealing to Dirco,” said Chetty. 

“Some of those still stranded have no means of support, no place to stay and are running short of money, food, and medication. They are in countries where they have no knowledge of the language and are bereft of support and denied information. This is a situation not of their own making,” said Chetty. 

The repatriation of South Africans is complicated due to airport regulations imposed by the Department of Transport and uncertainties over the availability of air transport due to the lockdown. 

According to Chetty, these citizens have been given minimal support from many South African diplomatic missions run by DIRCO — some of which have been totally unsympathetic to their dire situation. 

“According to a newspaper report, a DIRCO diplomat is alleged to have told a citizen to pull themselves together and ‘stop being a cry baby’. These citizens have paid for service delivery in their hour of need and DIRCO must front up. They should not be berated or referred to as cry babies,” said Chetty. 

DA READY TO EXPOSE TREATMENT OF SA CITIZENS STRANDED ABROAD 

Following up on repatriation, the DA has collected information from those already back home on the treatment they have received from South African missions and individual diplomats abroad and from those still struggling to return home. This will be made public in due course.

In the meantime, the DA through its members worldwide, will continue to monitor in detail the treatment stranded South Africans receive from DIRCO’s foreign missions and report this back to the relevant DA MPs to address to their committees.