Chris Louw
PROFESSOR Peter Vale, director of the Centre for Southern African Studies at the University of the Western Cape, has applied to become director general of the Department of Foreign Affairs. The post — presently occupied by Rusty Evans — was advertised recently.
Vale, who was directly involved in drafting ANC foreign policy before it came to power, was in Pretoria on Thursday for a meeting with Foreign Affairs officials and was not available for comment.
But advertising the post does not necessary mean a new director general will be appointed, as advertising for senior positions in the civil service is presently done on a “pro forma” basis.
Evans is a career diplomat. He was based in the South African embassy in London during the 1980s, when the struggle against apartheid reached a pinnacle.
He is said to be held in high esteem by both President Nelson Mandela and Foreign Minister Alfred Nzo. He is regarded as highly capable and had a strong input in foreign policy developed at the Transitional Executive Council’s sub-council on foreign affairs.
But there is a school of thought that favours the ANC bringing its “own people” into the department, and Vale is a member of the ANC.