List of ambassadors of Austria to South Africa

The Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to South Africa is the Republic of Austria's foremost diplomatic representative in South Africa. As head of Austria's diplomatic mission there, the ambassador is the official representative of the president and government of Austria to the Prime Minister and the government of South Africa. The position has the rank and status of an Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary and the embassy is located in Cape Town.[1]

Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to South Africa
Coat of arms of Austria
since 2022
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Embassy of Austria, Pretoria
StyleHer Excellency
WebsiteAustrian Embassy, Pretoria

The embassy's area of responsibility also includes the Republic of Angola, the Republic of Botswana, the Kingdom of Lesotho, the Republic of Madagascar, the Republic of Mauritius, the Republic of Mozambique, the Republic of Namibia, the Republic of Zimbabwe, and the Kingdom of Eswatini.[2]

History

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The embassy in South Africa opened in 1955. Its jurisdiction includes several countries in Southern Africa for which there is no embassy of its own.

The Consulate General in South Africa was located in Cape Town but was closed in October 2010. The Austrian Embassy in Harare (the capital and largest city of Zimbabwe) was closed on 1 January 2012 for security reasons, and its jurisdiction was divided between the embassies in Pretoria and Nairobi, whereby Pretoria also took over the representation for Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Angola.

Austrian Ambassadors

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Name Term Start Term End Notes
  Austria →   South Africa (  Botswana,   Lesotho,   Madagascar,   Mauritius,   Namibia,   Eswatini)
Wilhelm Görtz 1955 1959
Eduard Schiller 1959 1962
Franz Rader 1962 1964 Acting Ambassador from 29 December 1962 to 18 March 1964
Adolf Heinrich Hobel 1964 1968 Previously Ambassador to Bulgaria and Finland; later to Chile
Paul Zedtwitz 1968 1972 Previously Counsellor and Chargé d'Affaires in the United States, Chile, Ethiopia; later in Algeria
Ernst Hessenberger 1972 1975
Arnold Möbius 1975 1979
Michael Fitz. 1979 1983
Johann Plattner 1983 1986
Alexander Christiani 1986 1990 Previously Head of the department for the Near and Middle East in the Foreign Ministry, member of the delegation to the UN General Assembly, Ambassador to the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands
Arnold Möbius 1990 1994 Second term
Franz Palla 1994 1999
Kurt Spallinger 1999 2003
Helmut Freudenschuss 2003 2008 Previously a member of the Permanent Representative to the UN in New York and Alternate Representative in the Security Council, Head of Coordination Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador to Lebanon; later Head of Sub-Saharan Africa Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy Advisor to the President.[3]
Otto Ditz[4] 2008 2012 Since January 2012:   Austria →   Zimbabwe,   Angola,   Mozambique
Previously Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and Canada and Jamaica.[5]
Brigitte Öppinger-Walchshofer 2013 2017 Previously Ambassador to Ethiopia and Deputy Representative to the African Union, and Head of Austrian Development Cooperation.[6]
Johann Brieger 2018 2022 Previously Ambassador to Kosovo, Deputy Head of the Service Section (at Ambassadorial level), Permanent Representative to the IACA and member of the supervisory board of the ADA[4][7]
Romana Königsbrun 2022 Present Accredited to Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe.[8][9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Österreich, Außenministerium der Republik. "Austrian Embassy Pretoria". www.bmeia.gv.at. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  2. ^ Österreich, Außenministerium der Republik. "South Africa". www.bmeia.gv.at. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  3. ^ "Helmut Freudenschuss". www.worldpolicyconference.com. World Policy Conference. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b Der Botschafter, mit Ehemalige Österreichische Botschafter in Pretoria. bmeia.gv.at: Website der ÖB Pretoria
  5. ^ "Media Advisory - Ambassador of Austria to Canada to meet with Lieutenant Governor". news.ontario.ca. Ontario Newsroom. April 28, 2004. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  6. ^ "Ambassador Brigitte Öppinger-Walchshofer CURRICULUM VITAE" (PDF). www.bmeia.gv.at. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  7. ^ "Ambassador Johann BRIEGER" (PDF). www.bmeia.gv.at. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  8. ^ Österreich, Außenministerium der Republik. "The Ambassador". www.bmeia.gv.at. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  9. ^ "Ambassador of Austria to South Africa, Romana Königsbrun | Womanity". Womanity. November 15, 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
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