South Africa’s new ambassador to France received a luxury trip to Dubai from a controversial businessman linked to state capture

Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed the controversial politician Ayanda Dlodlo as South Africa’s foreign ambassador to France, one week after naming Dina Pule as his newest cabinet member.

Dlodlo has a long career in politics and has held several high positions, including Minister of State Security and Minister of Public Service and Administration.

During her tenure as State Security Minister, she came under scrutiny for her department’s handling of the 2021 civil unrest.

The unrest was devastating for the country, resulting in over 350 deaths and roughly R50 billion in economic losses.

The Department of State Security was criticised for failing to identify this threat before the unrest occurred.

Dlodlo maintained that her department had reported the potential unrest to the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele.

Cele responded that his department had not received any report of the unrest, leading to confusion about who was to blame for the violence.

Dlodlo also landed in hot water after allegations about her involvement in state capture during Jacob Zuma’s presidency.

In 2015, when serving as the Deputy Minister of Public Service and Administration, she was gifted a stay in a luxury Dubai hotel.

The trip abroad was paid for by the controversial businessman Fana Hlongwane, who faced several allegations of involvement in state capture.

In 2019, a Joint Ethics Committee found that Dlodlo had failed to disclose the overseas trip, which was a breach of Parliament’s code of conduct.

She defended these actions by saying she considered Hlongwane a brother and that gifts from immediate family members did not need to be disclosed.

The Joint Ethics Committee did not agree with this defence and formally reprimanded her for failing to disclose the trip.

Following these findings, Dlodlo served as the Minister of Public Services and Administration from 2021 to 2022, having previously held the position in 2019.

Opposition from the DA

Dlodlo’s newest appointment has drawn backlash from opposition parties, including the Democratic Alliance (DA).

DA parliamentary member Ryan Smith commented on the appointment, saying it favoured internal politics over the country’s best interests.

“The fact that such a key diplomatic and trading partner, such as France, should have Ayanda Dlodlo as its representative of the South African state, is a blight on our foreign service,” he said.

France is an important partner for South Africa and contributes significantly to investment in the country.

Currently, France is the largest direct foreign investor in South Africa, with over R20 billion in pledges from its businesses this year alone.

Smith argued that French investment in South Africa’s economy makes it vital that Ramaphosa appoint a suitable ambassador.

“Such a crucial international partner cannot be managed by an individual as severely compromised as Ayanda Dlodlo,” he said.

He highlighted past controversies surrounding Dlodlo as reasons why she is unsuitable for the position.

Dlodlo’s announcement as French ambassador comes shortly after another controversial appointment by Ramaphosa.

On 30 June 2026, Dina Pule was appointed as the new Minister of Social Development, drawing criticism for her past actions.

Pule was involved in a public corruption scandal, which led to a parliamentary inquisition finding that she had acted improperly in a previous ministerial role.

This led to her being ousted from Jacob Zuma’s cabinet in 2013, after which she left the public eye for years.

She later joined the African National Congress (ANC) Women’s League, before becoming a member of parliament after the 2024 elections.

This led to her appointment as Minister of Social Development, a role that had been vacant before the announcement.

The DA also condemned this appointment, saying that Pule could not be trusted in a cabinet position given her past actions.