By: David Shoombe
While South Africa has positioned itself as the most industrialised and diversified economy in Africa, with an estimated nominal GDP between $400 to $443 billion, its ailing diplomatic ties with Western powers could negatively impact smaller economies dependent on its progression.
On 30 January 2026, the South African Department of International Relations and Corporation (DIRCO) declared Israel’s chargé d’affaires, Ariel Seidman, persona non grata and he was given 72 hours to leave South Africa.
DIRCO cited that Seidman violated diplomatic norms by attacking South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on social media and noted the “failure to inform DIRCO on the purported visits by senior Israel officials.”
In response, Israel’s Foreign Ministry reciprocated by ordering South Africa’s Shaun Edward Byneeldt to exit from his office in the Ramallah, Palestine, also given the directive to leave the country within 72 hours, declaring him persona non grata.
Persona non grata, Latin for “unwelcome person,” is a diplomatic mechanism used by hosting nations to expel diplomats from said nations for various reasons.
According to Article 9 of the Vienna Convention of 1961 on Diplomatic Relations, a receiving state may at any time notify a sending state that a member of mission is persona non grata, without explaining its decision.
South Africa’s economic diplomacy with the US was tested by a 30% tariff on all its goods entering the US market, with economists indicating the indirect impact on Namibian trade with South Africa and members of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU).
Ricky Simasiku, a lecturer of political science at the University of Namibia, stated that South Africa faces pressure from the US for its relations with Russia and China, especially as the Western power has always supported Israel.
Ruling out that Namibia could be caught in direct crossfires, Simasiku stated that “Namibia can only be impacted to the extent that it assists South Africa in an International Court of Justice case against Israel where Namibia is heavily involved.”
Simasiku, however, noted that the gradual deterioration of South Africa’s diplomatic ties with the West would affect Namibia in the form of economic sanctions against South Africa, as Namibia is heavily dependent on South Africa for trade.
Latest international trade statistics indicate that South Africa is the number one import and export market of Namibia, with 39.7% of Namibian import shares and 29.3% of export shares.
Hence, economic diversification is central to Namibia’s national policies, particularly in the sixth National Development Plan (NDP 6). A diversified economy allows for the navigation of global economic shifts and alignment with sustainable markets, preventing over-reliance on a single trading partner.
