The government has expressed serious concerns over the use of SA’s national flag during a meeting last month between former president Jacob Zuma and Morocco’s minister of foreign affairs, Nasser Bourita.
Zuma, leader of the MK party, visited the Moroccan capital, Rabat, on July 15, where he met with Bourita in what Morocco described as a high-level diplomatic engagement.
However, Chrispin Phiri, the spokesperson for the department of international relations & co-operation said the SA government viewed the meeting as a breach of diplomatic protocol.
“[While] we recognise and respect the sovereign right of Morocco to invite individuals and groups, [the department] on behalf of the government ... strongly protests the use of ... the SA national flag, in the meeting ...”
Phiri said the presence of the flag in a meeting involving a political party leader who is not a government representative was “an abuse of existing protocol and decorum” and “undermines official bilateral relations between [SA] and the Kingdom of Morocco”.
Phiri said the display of the flag at the meeting suggested official state endorsement and was misleading and inappropriate.
“This portrayal cannot be recognised as an official bilateral meeting, and the implications drawn from it are firmly rejected,” he said.
“In the spirit of fostering and maintaining cordial and friendly bilateral relations, and consistent with the fundamental principles of mutual respect between sovereign states and non-interference in internal affairs, SA respectfully encourages ... Morocco to refrain from such actions. Upholding these shared principles is essential for the continued positive development of relations between our two nations.”
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