The South African High Commission in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

is the High Commission of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, Canada. It is located at 15

Sussex Drive Sussex Drive (french: Promenade Sussex), also known as Ottawa Regional Road93, is an arterial road in Ottawa, Ontario, the capital of Canada. It is one of the city's main ceremonial and institutional routes. Travelling roughly parallel to the Ott ...

in the

New Edinburgh New Edinburgh is a neighbourhood in Rideau-Rockcliffe Ward, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located to the northeast of the downtown core. It is bordered on the west by the Rideau River, to the north by the Ottawa River, to the south by Bee ...

neighbourhood of Ottawa. Directly across the street from the embassy is

24 Sussex Drive 24 Sussex Drive, originally called ''Gorffwysfa'' and usually referred to simply as 24 Sussex, is the official residence of the prime minister of Canada, located in the New Edinburgh neighbourhood of Ottawa, Ontario. Built between 1866 and 1868 by ...

the official residence of the

Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada (french: premier ministre du Canada, link=no) is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority the elected Hou ...

. East of the High Commission is

7 Rideau Gate 7 Rideau Gate is the Canadian government's official state guest house for very important dignitaries, such as visiting heads of government or other high-level officials. The house is located in Ottawa, Ontario, near other official residences such ...

, Canada's official guest house for visiting dignitaries.

Rideau Hall Rideau Hall (officially Government House) is the official residence in Ottawa of both the Canadian monarch and their representative, the governor general of Canada. It stands in Canada's capital on a estate at 1 Sussex Drive, with the main b ...

, the official residence of the

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, t ...

is also nearby at 1 Sussex Drive. The building was constructed for James Stevenson, the

Bank of Montreal The Bank of Montreal (BMO; french: Banque de Montréal, link=no) is a Canadian multinational investment bank and financial services company. The bank was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1817 as Montreal Bank; while its head office remains in ...

's representative in Ottawa, in 1841. In 1867 it was purchased by

Moss Kent Dickinson Moss Kent Dickinson (June 1, 1822 – July 19, 1897) was a Canadian businessman, mayor of Ottawa from 1864 to 1866, Member of Parliament from 1882 to 1887 and the founder of Manotick. Background He was born in Denmark, New York in 1822 t ...

an industrialist and mayor of Ottawa and then by the South African government in 1944. Throughout its history the building went through a number of renovations, two additions under the supervision of architect

W.E. Noffke W. E. Noffke (1878–1964) was an architect in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, best known for his residential works. His houses, some of the grandest in the city of the time, are designed in a large variety of styles, most in an Eclecticism in art, eclec ...

in 1920 and 1947 as well as a renovation by Peter John Stokes from 1964-1965. During the

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

era the mission was the scene of frequent protests. Following South Africa's withdrawal from the

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...

in 1961, its status changed from High Commission to

Embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...

, and there was pressure within Canada to end diplomatic relations with the country. With the end of apartheid in 1994, South Africa rejoined the Commonwealth and in April the following year, the first black High Commissioner,

Billy Modise Billy Modise was an African National Congress (ANC) veteran and former ambassador. He was born on 18 December 1930 in Bloemfontein and died on 20 June 2018. Early life Billy Modise was born on 8 December 1930 in Bloemfontein, Orange Free State ...

, was appointed. A former leader of the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...

Youth Wing, Modise spent 31 years in exile after fleeing South Africa in 1960. The current High Commissioner is Rieaz Shaik. South Africa also has a Consulate General in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

External links

Official site

References

{{Diplomatic missions of South Africa

Canada and the Commonwealth of Nations South Africa and the Commonwealth of Nations Canada–South Africa relations Sussex Drive

External links

Related link

References