South Africa/Ambassador/Chile
 South Africa/Ambassador/Chile(Ambassador to Chile) | |
|---|---|
| South Africa's diplomatic representative in the South American nation of Chile |
The South African Ambassador to Chile is South Africa's diplomatic representative in the South American nation of Chile. The relationship saw a reset after the end of the Pinochet-era in 1990 and apartheid in 1994.
Apartheid era
During the 1970s and 1980s, apartheid South Africa collaborated extensively with the Pinochet government on weapons trade and intelligence sharing. Beyond a biannual intelligence conference, the apartheid government saw its relationship with Chile as a gateway to lucrative South American arms market.[1][2]
In turn, during the 1980s, Pretoria only sent retired army generals to act as ambassadors in Chile. Considering that both countries were facing embargoes, part of the collaboration agenda was sanctions busting. Chile acted as a proxy for Pretoria to gain access to weapons that they couldn’t get on their own. Chile’s proximity to the USA and the CIA's support for Pinochet made it easier for it to get access to weapons and intelligence that the South Africans were coveting.[1]
Other countries in this covert network were Israel and Taiwan.
