High Commissioner Mamabolo has had a distinguished career in foreign relations, dating back to 1978 when at the age of 23 years; he was appointed Deputy Head of Mission of the African National Congress (ANC) to the United Republic of Tanzania. Ambassador Mamabolo held various leadership positions in the ANC in exile including the following:- Head of Information and Publicity of the ANC Mission in Zimbabwe (1984), ANC Deputy Head of Mission in Zimbabwe (1985). ANC Head of Mission in Maputo, Mozambique (1987-1989); Cuba (1989 – 1993) and in 1993-94 he served as ANC Head of Mission in Zimbabwe. He returned to South Africa in 1994, thus ending a period of 18 years in exile.

Upon his return to South Africa, he joined the Department of Foreign Affairs which is now renamed the Department of International Relations and Corporation, and was immediately appointed the first High Commissioner of democratic South Africa to the Republic of Zimbabwe. Upon completing his term of duty in 1999, he was appointed South Africa's Permanent Representative to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and to the United Nations’ Economic Commission for Africa headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. During the same period he served as South Africa’s Ambassador to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia accredited also to the Republic of the Sudan; and the Republic of Djibouti.

In 2002 former OAU Secretary General Salim Ahmed Salim appointed him as special envoy to Sierra Leone and the MANU River Basin, a position he held for two years.  more...