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The Embassy of South Africa

The Ambassador

Amb. Phumelele Stone Sizani

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H. E. Ambassador Phumelele Stone Sizani was born on 2 March 1954 and received his Master of Arts in Development Studies from the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom. He served as Regional Director at the Kagiso Trust (Eastern Cape) and as IDT Regional Director (Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Northern Cape and Gauteng Province). Ambassador Sizani was from 1998-1999 Political Advisor for the Eastern Cape Premier and from 1999-2002 MEC Department of Education, Eastern Cape EXCO. From 2008-2016 he was a Member of Parliament, the last three years of which he was also Chief Whip of the ANC. Ambassador Sizani speaks Xhosa, Afrikaans and English and he is married and has four children.

History

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In 1914 South Africa entered World War I on behalf of the British Empire, against the German Empire. South Africa subsequently conquered German South-West Africa and occupied it until the independence of Namibia in 1990. Once again, during World War II, South Africa fought against Nazi Germany, siding with the Allies. Since the end of apartheid, relations between the two countries have improved steadily. The German-South African Binational Commission has provided a framework for bilateral cooperation since 1996. Nowadays, South Africa is Germany's largest trading partner in Africa.

The South African Embassy was inaugurated in November 2003 and is located in Tiergartenstraße 18, 10785 Berlin. The building is four stories high and was the first South African Embassy building to be built following the end of apartheid in 1994. The Embassy is designed to embody a modern South Africa with an efficient administrative system, while at the same time reflecting the diverse traditions of the country.