In 2012, I arrived in Milan, Italy, to take up my post as South Africa’s Consul-General. It did not take long to identify one of the biggest obstacles to our tourism promotion efforts. The feedback received by both the Consulate-General and the SA Tourism country office was remarkably consistent: South Africa was perceived as an extraordinarily expensive destination.
Working closely with the head of SA Tourism in Italy, Lance Littlefield, we investigated the matter. What we found was startling. The tour packages being sold by travel agencies were indeed exorbitantly priced. Faced with this reality, we made a bold decision that was not universally welcomed by the travel trade: we would market South Africa directly to consumers.
Our message was simple but compelling. We highlighted the favourable exchange rate for Italians, the visa waiver enjoyed by Italian nationals, and the convenience of operating within virtually the same time zone. We spoke about a country blessed with extraordinary natural beauty and supported by world-class infrastructure. We presented South Africa as the continent’s most sophisticated economy, but also as a nation grounded in the values of ubuntu and botho, where people-to-people contact remained a central pillar of our foreign policy. We drew on Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s vision of a “Rainbow Nation” and, naturally, the enduring global appeal of Nelson Mandela. Yet we also knew that we could not avoid the difficult conversations. Concerns about crime remained deeply embedded in perceptions of South Africa and had to be addressed honestly and consistently. This was the work of building and entrenching Brand South Africa.
During my time in Italy, I also forged deep connections with the African diasporic community, particularly Kenyans. My official driver was Kenyan and, through him, I became part of a wider social network. I was also closest to Zimbabwean friends – Stanley Bello, Brian Tarapuwa and Tinashe Mathathu. I was invited to baptisms, birthday celebrations and countless nyama choma gatherings. I frequented African restaurants in Milan and spent time with immigrants from across the continent who were building lives far from home.
Among them was a remarkable Kenyan woman, Cecilia Nyasio, whose apartment became a sanctuary for Africans from many different countries. I affectionately called her “Mamma Africa” because of her generosity and unwavering pan-African spirit. Many of the people I met had never interacted with diplomats from their own countries. They were fascinated by our work and warmly embraced initiatives such as the braai days we organised for South Africans living in and around Milan.
Those experiences brought me closer to Africa than ever before. Yes as Head of Public Diplomacy at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) I did visit many African countries before my diplomatic posting. And I was introduced to the continent as a young cultural activist by Heinemann Publishers’ African Writers Series (AWS).
Officially, my responsibilities increasingly extended beyond South Africa. At investor seminars, I often found myself fielding questions not only about my own country but about the continent as a whole. The reason was simple. At the time, only South Africa, Senegal and later Burkina Faso maintained fully fledged Consulates-General in Milan, while Angola operated a trade office. Most other African countries were represented by honorary consuls who were Italian nationals.
As a result, during meetings organised by Italian institutions, I frequently found myself correcting misconceptions or clarifying matters relating to other African countries. I often advised African immigrants whose embassies were located hundreds of kilometres away in Rome. I hosted Africa Week, bringing together representatives from across the continent. In many ways, I became not only a representative of South Africa but an advocate for Africa.
This was the essence of our economic diplomacy programme: strengthening South Africa’s reputation as a destination for tourism and investment while simultaneously opening market access opportunities for Proudly South African products and services.
Forgive this brief detour. It is necessary to understand what comes next.
The strategy worked. Tourist arrivals from Italy increased steadily year after year. More importantly, the narrative was spreading through the African diaspora itself. South Africa was becoming part of conversations, aspirations and travel plans.
In 2014, one such conversation became reality.
I travelled to South Africa with a Kenyan colleague, Otieno Ondiek, who had never visited our country before. As fortune would have it, I needed to attend the unveiling of a tombstone for my aunt in Ramotswa, Botswana. The trip became an unexpected regional journey. We travelled through Ramatlabana to Ramotswa and Gaborone, giving him an opportunity to experience a broader part of Southern Africa.
I also took him through the Hillbrow-Berea-Yeoville precinct, home to one of Johannesburg’s largest African immigrant communities. During one outing, he met a fellow Kenyan at Sandton Square who enthusiastically told him what a wonderful city Johannesburg was.
When he returned to Italy, he carried with him wonderful memories of South Africa. He became more than a tourist. He became a brand ambassador. There is no marketing tool more powerful than lived experience. People trust the testimony of those they know far more than any glossy brochure or advertising campaign.
So why am I telling these stories?
Because over the past few weeks I have watched disturbing images of African immigrants being driven from their homes by anti-immigrant South Africans. I have seen mothers and babies taking refuge on pavements, in police station yards and in under-resourced repatriation centres. As a father, I struggle to comprehend such suffering. I cannot help but imagine my own children in those circumstances. Yes, I have also seen images of pregnant women and elderly women.
How do those mothers feel? How do those fathers feel? And what do we feel when we look at those images? Do we feel victorious? Do we feel proud?
The images brought back memories of another Kenyan friend in Italy. Encouraged by our tourism campaign and inspired by stories from those who had visited South Africa, he decided to spend a week in Cape Town. Many in our social circle envied him. Before his departure, he came to me for advice and I gladly recommended places he should visit.
He returned a broken and deeply disappointed man. Even now, I can still picture the frustration on his face.
He told me that police officers had stopped him and demanded his papers at least twice a day. “Was it because I’m dark-complexioned?” he asked, not really seeking an answer.
What shocked him most was that he had never experienced such relentless profiling even in parts of Europe, where racial prejudice was often assumed to be more prevalent. In South Africa, he said, he felt treated like a criminal, a suspect, someone presumed to be in the country illegally. He observed that white tourists seemed to pass police checkpoints without similar scrutiny.
His story spread rapidly through dinner-table conversations, nyama choma gatherings and informal social circles across Milan.
This week, as I watched the latest images, I found myself thinking about the pain he must have felt. The disappointment. The regret. The sense of betrayal.
Betrayal because he had expected to be welcomed as a fellow African and instead was made to feel like an outsider.
Everyone who heard his story sympathised with him. I did too. I was embarrassed. I felt ashamed. And I apologised.
I have read comments from anti-immigrant voices seeking to justify their actions by citing previous instances in other African countries where foreign nationals were treated in a similar manner. But we are not them. We should not define ourselves by the mistakes of others, nor should we seek comfort in their failures. Post-apartheid South Africa emerged as a nation with a profound moral authority. We became a beacon of hope not only for Africa, but for the world. Our democratic transition, anchored in reconciliation, human dignity and constitutionalism, earned us global admiration and respect.
The disturbing images we have witnessed in recent weeks were broadcast into homes across the world. They have become part of the global conversation about who we are as a nation. I have little doubt that this will have consequences for brand South Africa. When the next rankings are released, I would not be surprised to see our standing weakened in indices such as the Nation Brands Index, the Soft Power Index and the Brand Finance rankings. Reputation takes years to build and moments to damage. What we are witnessing is not merely a humanitarian tragedy for those affected; it is also a self-inflicted wound. In football terms, it is an own goal of devastating proportions.
Tujenge Afrika Pamoja! Let’s Build Africa Together!
Enjoy your weekend.
Saul Molobi (FCIM)
PUBLISHER: JAMBO AFRICA ONLINE
and
Group Chief Executive Officer and Chairman
Brandhill Africa™
Tel: +27 11 759 4297
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