H.E. Ms. Sheila Camerer, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of South Africa

• If the people of our two countries get to know each other, the other ties will follow
• The Bulgarian Black Sea Ports are of interest to South African economy
• South Africa has an effective criminal asset forfeiture system

H.E. Ms. Sheila Camerer earned a degree in Law from the University of Cape Town (1963). Attorney and Prosecutor, Johannesburg Magistrate Court (since 1978). Johannesburg City Councillor (1982–1987), MP (1987), Deputy Minister of Justice (1983–1994 and 1996). Deputy Chair and Chair of the Parliamentary Group of the New National Party (since 1994), Chairperson of the Parliamentary Caucus of the Democratic Alliance (August 2000 – October 2001), since October 2003 member of the New National Party.
Fluent in English, Afrikaans, German, working knowledge
of French.
Married, two daughters and a son. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Bulgaria since September 2009.

Diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and South Africa were established in the early 1990s. Until now the two countries have signed agreements in various fields. In what directions is there potential for expansion of the bilateral relations between South Africa and Bulgaria today?
I have been in Bulgaria for a year now as my country’s ambassador and I would like to start by saying that relations are good, cordial and mutually supportive but they are not extensive enough. My mandate as South Africa’s first ambassador here for 11 years is to broaden the relationship, politically, economically and culturally. I believe there is plenty of fertile ground and every reason for trade, cultural and political ties to deepen. Our countries have a lot of common ground. We come from troubled political backgrounds which ended in the early 90’s. We both experienced a difficult transition to full democracy and now we are both focused on the healthy development of our economies within a free and democratic framework. We both have very diverse populations and even our national mottos are similar, emphasizing the strength of unity in diversity.

My arrival in Sofia as Ambassador has again put bilateral relations on an equal footing. Although the South African Mission opened in 1992 with full ambassadorial status it was downgraded 6 years later to a mini mission with a Charge d’Affaires as our new government concentrated its efforts on Africa. Now we are expanding as a Mission with more growth to come.

The main reason for South Africa’s renewed interest in Bulgaria is its membership since January 2007 of the EU. My government’s policy is to have an ambassador in each EU country. Bulgaria’s geopolitical approach to South Africa is influenced no doubt by our membership of the G20 – the only African member of this group. This would appear to be a solid foundation on which to build, particularly our economic ties.

Since 1992 when the South African Mission opened a number of agreements have been signed, or drafts exchanged, of which eight are pending and seven are already in force. However some have superannuated, such as the agreement for cooperation in the field of Defence and Defence Technology signed in 1997. Since that date Bulgaria has joined NATO (2004) and the EU (2007) and 9/11 happened. Clearly it must be updated and we are now in the process.

The Bulgarian MFA has made it clear that it regards the finalization of two particular  agreements as a priority, namely an Agreement for Friendly Relations and Cooperation which is in the process but has not been finalised and one for the Protection and Encouragement of Investments. I agree. My goal is to have these signed off during a high profile political visit in the near future.

The Embassy is notably more active from the moment you headed the mission. Your activity is diverse. What would you like to achieve within your mandate in Bulgaria?
During my mandate one of my priorities will be to strengthen economic ties. At present the trade between our two countries does not remotely reflect the potential for trade and investment. Bulgaria includes the South Eastern border of Europe. The Black Sea Ports of Varna and Burgas and the developments that are taking place there are of great interest to my country particularly in relation to European markets.

At present two-way trade between our two countries amounts to ± 40m Euros, with the balance in South Africa’s favour. Up to now it mainly depends on how much coal Bulgaria buys from South Africa. There are, however, many other areas in which it could expand, including wine, high tech products (from Bulgaria).

Another priority is cultural exchange. If the people of our two countries get to know each other, the other ties will follow. My current goal is to bring young musicians from South Africa to perform in Bulgaria and vice versa. I have made a small start. We brought the up and coming young soprano Pretty Yende, 25, currently at La Scala to perform at Plovdiv during Vinaria and I have identified a brilliant young Bulgarian musician Martin Pavlov, 19, to bring to South Africa some time this year.

This year South Africa was partner at the annual wine exhibition in Plovdiv. Both countries are famous for their traditions and quality in winegrowing. What are your impressions, how are South African wines received in Bulgaria and are Bulgarian wines well known in South Africa?
Being Partner Country of Vinaria in March was a successful exercise from South Africa’s point of view. We had a large stand; introduced 6 wineries specially brought out by our Department of Trade and Industry, and included the 7 agents of South African wines in Sofia. Accordingly, we could show a big selection of our products. In a sense it broke the ice in persuading that Department to take a closer look at the Bulgarian market. The South African wine people who came to the show were very happy and are already negotiating new deals, for instance a joint venture for the export of wine to China together with Bulgarian wine producers. Imported wine consumption in Bulgaria is going up (from 7% 2 years ago to 15% currently) and South Africa aims to have a big slice of that market. South African wines have been well received in Bulgaria. Bulgarian wines are more or less unknown in South Africa, but there is no reason why this should not change. The South African visitors to Vinaria were invited to wine tastings of Bulgarian wines and were impressed by the quality.

Tourism is a major sector of the economy of South Africa. Is the number of Bulgarian tourists visiting your country in recent years satisfactory, and what efforts are made on both sides to promote the tourist exchange between Bulgaria and South Africa?
Tourism is also not what it should be. In that field we also have a lot in common. On the one hand, we are very different in size – South Africa is roughly 10 times the size of Bulgaria in geographic terms and has six times the population, while Bulgaria is twice as densely populated. However, Bulgaria and South Africa are both beautiful countries with user friendly coastlines, ideal for beach tourism. Superficially Bulgaria’s comparative advantage is snow and skiing in winter and many historical sites, and South Africa’s is wild animal safaris and the African mystique.

As far as tourism goes, Bulgaria has the advantage as about 20,000 Bulgarians live in South Africa and at certain times of the year, particularly at Christmas / New Year there is a lot of visiting.

The number of visitors from Bulgaria is going up gradually although because of the FIFA World Cup there is a spike and South Africa has introduced a special fast track “event visa” for ticket holders and football tourists. The numbers from South Africa to Bulgaria are small. One of the problems is the difficulties associated with getting a visa. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Milen Lyutskanov and I have made a date to try and find a solution to this problem.

The FIFA World Cup will be hosted by South Africa from 11th June to 11th July this year. What are your expectations?
This is a very big sporting event, in the same league as the Olympics. South Africa is very ready to host the event. The 6 new stadia are really beautiful and the 4 that have been upgraded for the event are also world class. The upgrading of our 3 international airports – Johannesburg (O.R.Tambo), Cape Town and Durban ahead of the influx of visitors has been completed and we now have fantastic facilities. This and the upgrading of roads around the airports and stadia has delivered a dividend to South Africa in terms of economic buoyancy and job creation. We are looking forward to the event as a Nation.

In Sofia the Mission is involved with the Sports Ministry in helping to arrange for a soccer tournament for schools to mirror the World Cup which will take place on 27–31 May. 32 schools will represent the 32 countries taking part, complete with soccer outfits in national colours, under the patronage of Mayor Yordanka Fandakova and we are looking forward to the event.

Your educational background and part of your political career are in the field of Law. You have been in Bulgaria since last spring. Are you tempted to view your observations of our country from this angle? What advice would you give for better efficiency in the functioning of the Bulgarian legislative system and judicial administration?
I have followed Bulgaria’s problems with corruption and organized crime, particularly in relation to EU requirements, with great interest. Yes, I am tempted to offer our experience of dealing with these problems to those responsible for solving them in Bulgaria, because both South Africa and Bulgaria have a problem with crime and corruption. As far as violent crime goes, South Africa is the crime capital of the world with the highest murder and rape rate. But on the recently published TI’s Corruption Perceptions Index South Africa does a bit better than Bulgaria. We came in at No.55 while Bulgaria was in 71st place. In my view this is probably because South Africa has a better institutional framework to fight corruption than Bulgaria, based on my understanding of the situation here.

Where South Africa has done well in fighting organized crime is a very effective criminal asset forfeiture system – the identification, confiscation and forfeiture of the proceeds of crime through a speedy civil court process. I am hoping to bring the head of our Asset Forfeiture Unit to Bulgaria to exchange views with his counterparts. Also I think we have managed to achieve a judiciary pretty well free of corruption through a transparent public process of appointment. All candidates for appointment as high court judges have to complete and submit an extensive questionnaire and then appear in person before the Judicial Services Commission (the South African equivalent of Bulgaria’s Supreme Judicial Council) on which I sat for 10 years. They are then interviewed by the 22-person Commission in the presence of the public and the media. It is quite a test for any candidate and such a transparent process helps to prevent corruption in our judiciary.

What are your impressions from our country and how do you feel in Bulgaria?
People are friendly and kind to foreigners, even enthusiastic about foreign visitors. Mercifully everyone under 30 speaks some English, so it is easy to get information. One of the things we have in common with Bulgaria is a wine culture and everything that goes with it – good food, a friendly atmosphere and beautiful surroundings, so that makes settling down in Bulgaria easy. My husband and I enjoy the music in Sofia – excellent symphony concerts, operas and recitals. The level of literacy and the high proportion of tertiary education among men and particularly women is impressive. I also enjoy the fact that many women hold high office and important positions in government, civil society and business.