NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION 1676
DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 26 July 2013
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 23 of 2013
Mr M S F de Freitas (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:
With reference to her reply to question 1308 on 19 June 2013, why are
diplomatic passports administered by the Department of International
Relations and Cooperation and not by her Department?
NW2023E
REPLY:
Diplomatic passports are administered by the Department of International
Relations and Cooperation in terms of Article 41(2) of the Vienna
Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961. The article states that all
requests for holders of diplomatic passports must be channelled through a
countryâs Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in respect of the Republic of
South Africa, this is the Department of International Relations and
Cooperation.