Today I announce the appointment of Ms Gita Kamath as Australia’s next High Commissioner to South Africa. Ms Kamath will also have non-resident accreditation to Angola, Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Mozambique and Namibia.
Australia has a close relationship with South Africa, underpinned by substantial bilateral trade and investment interests and extensive people-to-people links. South Africa is Australia’s largest trading partner in Africa. In 2017-18, two-way trade in goods and services was valued at $3.7 billion and two-way investment was $15 billion.
We value South Africa as a strong voice in international bodies, including the G20, the Commonwealth, the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and the United Nations.
Australia enjoys positive bilateral relationships with Angola, Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Mozambique and Namibia built around education and development cooperation.
Ms Kamath is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and was most recently Assistant Secretary, Africa Branch.
Ms Kamath holds a Master of Arts (Foreign Affairs and Trade), Australian National University; a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws, University of New South Wales; and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, University of Technology Sydney.
I thank outgoing High Commissioner Adam McCarthy for his contributions to advancing Australia’s interests in South Africa since 2015.
