Speaking at Mthethwa\u2019s memorial service held at the Department of International Relations and Co-operation headquarters in Pretoria this week, Buana expressed deep sorrow and solidarity with the South African people and government.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have received the news of his passing in great shock. The people of Tanzania and SA, including the diplomatic community, are grieving with the family and the government of SA,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Buana described Mthethwa as a dedicated public servant, former ANC youth leader, trade unionist, and diplomat whose legacy will continue to inspire.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The High Commissioner highlighted Mthethwa\u2019s lifelong contributions, from his early involvement in the African National Congress youth league to his leadership in workers\u2019 unions and ultimately his role representing SA in France.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are here to cherish his legacy and the life of a fallen diplomat,\u201d he added, extending condolences to the SA President, Foreign Minister, family, and all mourners.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Buana also emphasised the historic fraternal ties between Tanzania and SA, noting that both nations have maintained close political, economic, and diplomatic relations since the liberation struggle.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are brothers and sisters, historically united. We continue to promote friendly relations and escalate them into stronger bilateral economic ties for the mutual benefit of our peoples,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In addition, the High Commissioner expressed support for SA\u2019s current G20 presidency, lauding its efforts to represent Africa and the Global South on the international stage.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cSA has represented very well the voice of the South, promoting issues of common benefit in financial infrastructure and development. We are proud and hopeful that the legacy of this leadership will continue under future presidencies,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ambassador Buana concluded by reaffirming Tanzania\u2019s solidarity with SA, underscoring the enduring bonds between the two nations and the diplomatic community\u2019s shared grief over the loss of Ambassador Mthethwa.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":13246,"template":"default||default","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-13245","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Tanzanian High Commissioner to South Africa (SA), Ambassador James Buana, has paid a heartfelt tribute to the late SA Ambassador to France, Nathi Mthethwa, who passed away in France on September 30.||Tanzanian High Commissioner to South Africa (SA), Ambassador James Buana, has paid a heartfelt tribute to the late SA Ambassador to France, Nathi Mthethwa, who passed away in France on September 30.","published_date":"2025-10-10 14:09:32||2025-10-10 14:09:32","news_description":"Tanzanian High Commissioner to South Africa (SA), Ambassador James Buana, has paid a heartfelt tribute to the late SA Ambassador to France, Nathi Mthethwa, who passed away in France on September 30.||Tanzanian High Commissioner to South Africa (SA), Ambassador James Buana, has paid a heartfelt tribute to the late SA Ambassador to France, Nathi Mthethwa, who passed away in France on September 30.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/13245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/13245\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18454,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/13245\/revisions\/18454"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=13245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}