The non-diplomat at Foreign Affairs

A faxed note that has just been brought in attracts his attention. New Foreign Affairs Minister, Phandu Skelemani has just arrived in his constituency office at the Nswazwi Mall. He is known for keeping time. And he shoots straight. "I told people that I am not a diplomat and my background in the civil service is known and I tell the facts as I see them," declares the 63-year-old former attorney general. So how is he going to handle his new docket? "I would still have to learn other things that goes with my new job. That is when I will always remember how things are done," he says scrubbing his silver goatee.

Because he is now working with diplomats, Skelemani is positive that they will advise him on how to speak when handling sensitive issues. At the moment, he is like a fish out of water after moving from the familiar docket of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration where he was in charge of Justice, Defence and Security.