Thenjiwe Ethel Mtintso: An Idealist Ambassador

We talk a lot about Africa, most of the time as if it were a single block and this idea is spreading in a very simple way. In order to understand better Africa, we have to enter the countries that make it up, starting with the giants of the continent, Nigeria and South Africa, without forgetting Ghana.

We have a new ambassador from South Africa in Spain, Mrs. Thenjiwe Ethel Mtintso, a great activist with a very political profile, born in Soweto, in this neighbourhood of Johannesburg, at the heart of the revolt against the racist regime. First of all, it is necessary to examine her curriculum, which has led to both her academic and political career in Africa, and the fact that before embarking on her journey to Madrid, she was journalist, member of the Communist Party from a very young age and the African National Congress (ANC) for 27 years. She was arrested and was jailed several times. She had to go into exile from 1978 to 1992. Like a really good friend of Winnie Mandela and Oliver Tambo, she is one of the elite supporters of Nelson Mandela in the open fight against the racist regime.

It should be noted that the South African Communist Party plays a role similar to the one of the Spanish Communist Party in its resistance to dictatorship. Since 1992, her life has changed dramatically. She became a delegate of the ANC in Uganda and participated in the negotiations for the democratization of South Africa in 1994 as an elected MP, in addition to her entry into the Politburo of the Communist Party and the Executive Committee of the ANC. In 1997, she was elected Deputy Secretary-General of the ANC.

She distinguishes herself by her activism and her regular collaboration with the Council of South African Churches and the media. She told me that Mandela valued her a great deal as an organizer, but did not want her to become a diplomat. Madiba appreciated her as an activist and as the soul of the ANC. However, in 2003, she was appointed Ambassador of Cuba, in 2009 in Italy, in 2014 in Romania, in 2016, High Commissioner in Malawi and on June 11, 2019, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain. She has not yet presented her credentials to King Felipe VI. She is, therefore, preparing herself thoroughly for this new diplomatic task.

On July 22, we received her as part of a courtesy visit to the Peace and Cooperation Foundation. She has distinguished herself from the beginning with her ability to empathize with young people. She is very interested in Mandela's portrayal and transmission of his values, his great strength of reconciliation that he defended for South Africa, now known as the land of the rainbow. She pointed out that South Africa needed agrarian reform, but without destabilizing productivity, as I have already pointed out, in Zimbabwe, a neighbouring country, where the shortage was due to prosperous agriculture.

The promotion of women and inequalities in a two-tiered country, as President Mbeki said, are issues that affect her and how to improve these two vital issues without breaking the harmony that was an inheritance of Mandela. In Spain, she wants to reach youth to imbue Mandela's ideals. Faced with typical materialism of Europe, it is necessary according to her to have spiritual values.

In what is simply political and refers to Spain, she points out that her country has excellent relations with the Basque Country and Catalonia and that there is no problem with the government, that is, to say that the relations are good. She would like the President of the Government to visit South Africa in order to strengthen trade and cultural exchanges. South Africa was put into orbit in Spain by the famous Iniesta goal that flooded Spanish flags across the country. Sports columnists have made numerous reports about this beautiful country with fabulous nature reserves and fascinating Cape Town. The confluence of the Atlantic and Indian oceans in the Cape of Good Hope is an interesting visit and anyone who does it will keep an indelible memory, as will the great attempt to create a unique nation of blacks, whites and peoples of colour.

We wish good luck to this great militant and kind lady.

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