… Veteran diplomat begins Taipei mission after years at UN, Pretoria and Foreign Affairs Ministry
BY MBONGENI NDLELA
TAIPEI, TAIWAN – Seasoned diplomat Vulindlela Kunene has been unveiled as the Kingdom of Eswatini’s new Ambassador to the Republic of China (Taiwan), handing one of the country’s most important diplomatic assignments to an official with years of experience in bilateral and multilateral diplomacy.
Kunene formally began his mission in Taipei by presenting copies of his Letters of Credence to Taiwan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Lin Chia-lung, during a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The diplomatic ceremony effectively introduced Kunene in his new role and opened another chapter in relations between Eswatini and Taiwan.
His appointment sees him take up the responsibility of representing the Kingdom in Taipei at a time when the two countries continue to cooperate in areas ranging from education and agriculture to health, technology, trade and investment.
While the Taipei posting represents a new assignment for Kunene, diplomacy is familiar territory for the Mankayane-born civil servant.
He arrives in Taiwan carrying experience accumulated over more than a decade in Eswatini’s foreign service, including an eight-year posting at the country’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York and a stint as acting head of Eswatini’s diplomatic mission in South Africa.
Government records show that Kunene formally joined the Civil Service in 2009 after previously serving as Private Secretary to then Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Senator Mabili Dlamini. He entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation as an Assistant Socio-Political Analyst in the Political Department.
That position provided an early foundation for a career that would later place him in some of Eswatini’s most important diplomatic engagements.
From March 2013 to June 2021, Kunene served as First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Eswatini to the United Nations in New York.
His years in New York exposed him to multilateral diplomacy, international negotiations and the workings of the United Nations system.
Records from the United Nations show that Kunene also served as First Secretary for Legal Affairs. In October 2018, he represented Eswatini at the United Nations General Assembly during the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit.
The UN assignment became one of the defining periods of his diplomatic career.
Reflecting on the experience in a Government profile published in 2023, Kunene spoke of the significance of standing before the UN General Assembly after growing up in Mankayane.
“I’ll never forget speaking from the UN General Assembly podium,” he said.
His New York posting was followed by another senior international assignment.
Between July 2021 and July 2022, Kunene served as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim at the High Commission of the Kingdom of Eswatini in the Republic of South Africa, effectively placing him at the helm of the mission during that period.
That assignment gave him direct experience managing a diplomatic mission in South Africa, one of Eswatini’s closest neighbours and major economic partners.
After returning from Pretoria, Kunene continued rising through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, eventually serving as Under Secretary for Political Affairs.
In that senior position, he was responsible for the technical aspects of Eswatini’s foreign policy work and provided oversight to the ministry’s Political and International Cooperation departments.
Kunene previously explained that his work included analysing international developments, contributing to the formulation of Government positions, preparing positions for bilateral and multilateral engagements and helping safeguard Eswatini’s interests internationally.
He was also involved in processes surrounding the establishment of diplomatic relations and agreements covering areas such as investment, scholarships and other forms of international cooperation.
His latest posting is particularly notable because Kunene is not entering Eswatini-Taiwan relations as a newcomer.
He has previously participated directly in high-level engagements between the two governments.
In February 2024, Kunene, then serving as Under Secretary, accompanied Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Pholile Shakantu during an official engagement in Taiwan.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs recorded Kunene among senior officials who witnessed the signing of a joint declaration between Shakantu and then Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu on February 1, 2024. Then Eswatini Ambassador to Taiwan Promise Msibi was also present.
More than two years later, Kunene has returned to Taipei under very different circumstances.
He is no longer accompanying Eswatini’s delegation as an Under Secretary from Mbabane. He is now taking responsibility for the Embassy itself as the Kingdom’s ambassador.
His diplomatic portfolio will place him at the forefront of engagements between Mbabane and Taipei and position him to facilitate communication between the two governments while promoting Eswatini’s national interests.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs describes Eswatini’s diplomatic missions abroad as having a role in advancing trade, investment and tourism alongside traditional diplomatic responsibilities.
Kunene’s elevation therefore places an experienced foreign-service official in a position where political diplomacy increasingly intersects with development and economic cooperation.
His career progression tells its own story.
He has moved from serving as a private secretary and political analyst to representing the Kingdom at the United Nations, heading the Pretoria mission on an acting basis, overseeing political affairs at Foreign Affairs headquarters and now becoming an ambassador.
Kunene has previously described public service as requiring humility and a willingness to serve.
“Be prepared to serve,” he said when asked what advice he would give people interested in Government service.
That service has now taken him to Taipei.
His presentation of copies of his Letters of Credence to Foreign Minister Lin formally signals the beginning of a new diplomatic chapter, one that places Vulindlela Kunene at the centre of Eswatini’s engagement with the Republic of China (Taiwan).
