List of ambassadors of Spain to South Africa

Ambassador of Spain to South Africa
Coat of arms of Spain
Incumbent José Manuel Pascual García since 16 April 2025
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretariat of State for Foreign Affairs
Style	The Most Excellent
Residence	Pretoria
Nominator	The Foreign Minister
Appointer	The Monarch
Term length	At the government's pleasure
Inaugural holder	Luis García de Llera y Rodríguez
Formation	1960
Website	Mission of Spain to Africa

The ambassador of Spain to South Africa is the official representative of the Kingdom of Spain to the Republic of South Africa. It is also accredited to the Union of Comoros, the Kingdom of Lesotho, the Republic of Madagascar and the Republic of Mauritius.

South Africa and Spain established diplomatic relations in 1951. ^[1] In 1960, the permanent representation in Pretoria was elevated to the rank of embassy. ^[2]

Jurisdiction

Blue: Embassy in Pretoria
Green: Consulate G. in Cape Town

• South Africa: The ambassador is responsible for South Africa–Spain relations. The Embassy's Consular Section provides consular protection to Pretoria, the Northeast part of the country and Lesotho, while the Consulate General in Cape Town offers consular services to the West and South parts of the country, as well as the republics of Comoros, Madagascar and Mauritius. In addition, an honorary consul resides in Durban and an honorary vice-consul in Gqeberha. ^[3]

The ambassador is also accredited to:

• Comoros: Diplomatic relations were established on 1 March 1983. ^[4] Spain has an honorary vice-consul in Moroni. ^[3]
• Lesotho: Since 3 May 1976 both countries maintain diplomatic relations. ^[5] Spain has an honorary consulate with residence in Maseru. ^[3]
• Madagascar: On 25 March 1966, both nations established diplomatic relations. ^[6] Spain has an honorary consulate in Antananarivo. ^[3]
• Mauritius: Diplomatic relations were established on 30 May 1979. ^[7] An honorary consul resides at Port Louis. ^[3]

In the past, this ambassador was also accredited to Malawi (1971–1977).

List of ambassadors

Name		Term	Nominated by	Appointed by	Accredited to
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
-	Miguel Espinos y Bosch	18 June 1951 [8] – 23 December 1952 (1 year, 178 days)	Alberto Martín-Artajo	Francisco Franco	Ernest George Jansen
-	Mariano Amoedo y Galarmendi	23 December 1952 [9] – 22 May 1955 (2 years, 150 days)
-	Juan Gómez de Molina y Elío Marquess of Fontana	10 July 1955 [10] – 26 May 1957 [a] (retired) (1 year, 320 days)
-	Miguel de Aldasoro y Villamazares	4 January 1958 [13] – 12 May 1960 (retired) (2 years, 129 days)	Fernando María Castiella
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
1	Luis García de Llera y Rodríguez  [ es ]	17 October 1960 [14] – 29 July 1964 (3 years, 286 days)	Fernando María Castiella	Francisco Franco	C. R. Swart
2	Rafael Morales Hernández	29 December 1964 [15] – 30 August 1971 (retired) (6 years, 244 days)
3	Eduardo Gasset y Díez de Ulzurrun [b] Count of Peñarrubias	21 September 1971 [16] – 10 November 1973 (2 years, 50 days)	Gregorio López-Bravo		Jim Fouché
4	Juan Ramón Parellada Soteras [b]	3 January 1974 [17] – 2 April 1977 (3 years, 89 days)	Laureano López Rodó
5	Emilio Beladíez Navarro Marquess of the Conquista Real	2 April 1977 [18] – 29 July 1981 (4 years, 27 days)	The Marquess of Oreja	Juan Carlos I	Nico Diederichs
6	José Pérez del Arco Rodríguez	29 July 1981 [19] – 24 October 1983 (2 years, 87 days)	José Pedro Pérez-Llorca		Marais Viljoen
7	Federico Garayalde Emparan	24 October 1983 [20] – 6 February 1988 (4 years, 105 days)	Fernando Morán
8	Álvaro de Castilla y Bermúdez-Cañete	14 May 1988 [21] – 30 November 1991 (3 years, 200 days)	Francisco Fernández Ordóñez		P. W. Botha
9	Mariano Ucelay de Montero [c]	2 December 1991 [22] – 2 September 1996 (4 years, 275 days)			F. W. de Klerk
10	Miguel Ángel Carriedo Mompín [d]	2 September 1996 [23] – 24 February 2001 (4 years, 175 days)	Abel Matutes		Nelson Mandela
11	Miguel Ángel Fernández de Mazarambroz y Bernabeu [d]	24 February 2001 [24] – 1 August 2005 (4 years, 158 days)	Josep Piqué		Thabo Mbeki
12	Ramón Gil-Casares [d]	1 August 2005 [25] – 30 August 2008 (3 years, 29 days)	Miguel Ángel Moratinos
13	Pablo Benavides  [ es ] [d]	30 August 2008 [26] – 26 May 2012 (3 years, 270 days)
14	Juan Ignacio Sell  [ es ] [d]	16 June 2012 [27] – 24 June 2017 (5 years, 8 days)	José Manuel García-Margallo		Jacob Zuma
15	Carlos Enrique Fernández-Arias Minuesa [d]	24 June 2017 [28] – 12 January 2022 (4 years, 202 days)	Alfonso Dastis	Felipe VI
16	Raimundo Robredo Rubio  [ es ] [d]	12 January 2022 [29] – 16 April 2025 (3 years, 94 days)	José Manuel Albares		Cyril Ramaphosa
17	José Manuel Pascual  [ es ] [d]	16 April 2025 [30] – present (206 days)

See also

• South Africa–Spain relations

Notes

1. This date is an estimate. There is no formal dismissal date, but the Marquess of Fontana was born on 26 May 1887, ^[11] so it is very likely that he retired upon reaching the age of 70 (usual retirement date in the diplomatic service). He died on 27 June 1966. ^[12]
2. Accredited to Malawi.
3. Accredited to Lesotho and Madagascar.
4. Accredited to Comoros, Lesotho, Madagascar and Mauritius.

References

1. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (June 13, 1951). "Decreto de 19 de mayo de 1951 por el que se crea la Legación de España en Pretoria" [Decree of May 19, 1951, creating the Legation of Spain in Pretoria.](PDF). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2025.
2. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (October 8, 1960). "Decreto 1834/1960, de 7 de abril, por el que se eleva a Embajada la categoría de la Representación Diplomática de España en la Unión Surafricana" [Decree 1834/1960, of April 7, elevating the category of the Diplomatic Representation of Spain in the Union of South Africa to Embassy.](PDF). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2025.
3. "Embassy of Spain to South Africa - Consulates". www.exteriores.gob.es (in Spanish). Archived from the original on April 26, 2025. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
4. Diplomatic Information Office (March 2025). "Country profile - Comoros" (PDF). Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in Spanish). p. 3. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
5. Diplomatic Information Office (February 2025). "Country profile - Lesotho" (PDF). Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in Spanish). p. 4. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
6. Diplomatic Information Office (July 2025). "Country profile - Madagascar" (PDF). Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in Spanish). p. 4. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
7. Diplomatic Information Office (February 2025). "Country profile - Mauritius" (PDF). Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in Spanish). p. 4. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
8. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (June 18, 1951). "Decreto de 8 de junio de 1951 por el que se nombra Enviado Extraordinario y Ministro Plenipotenciario de España en Pretoria a don Miguel Espinos y Bosch, Ministro Plenipotenciario de primera clase" (PDF). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2025.
9. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (December 23, 1952). "Decreto de 12 de diciembre de 1952 por el que se dispone que el Ministro Plenipotenciario de primera clase don Miguel Espinós y Bosch cese en el cargo de Enviado Extraordinario y Ministro Plenipotenciario de España en Pretoria" (PDF). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2025.
10. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (July 10, 1955). "Decreto de 1 de julio de 1955 por el que se nombra Enviado Extraordinario y Ministro Plenipotenciario de España en Pretoria al Ministro Plenipotenciario de primera clase don Juan Gómez de Molina y Elío, Marqués de Fontana" (PDF). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2025.
11. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (October 8, 1957). "Diplomatic career ranking as of 1 January 1957" (PDF). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). p. 5560. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
12. "ABC MADRID 29-06-1966 página 132 - Archivo ABC". abc. August 9, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
13. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (January 4, 1958). "Decreto de 2 de enero de 1958 por el que se dispone el de don Miguel de Aldasoro y Villamazares para el cargo de Enviado Extraordinario y Ministro Plenipotenciario de España en Pretoria" (PDF). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2025.
14. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (October 17, 1960). "Decreto 1950/1960, de 6 de octubre por el que se designa Embajador de España en la Unión Surafricana a don Luis García de Llera y Rodríguez" (PDF). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2025.
15. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (December 29, 1964). "Decreto 4115/1964, de 17 de diciembre, por el que se designa Embajador de España en Pretoris a don Rafael Morales Hernández" (PDF). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2025.
16. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (September 21, 1971). "Decreto 2124/1971, de 17 de septiembre, por el que se designa Embajador de España en la República de Sudáfrica a don Eduardo Gasset y Díez de Ulzurrun, Conde de Peñarrubias" (PDF). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2025.
17. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (January 3, 1974). "Decreto 3261/1973, de 7 de diciembre, por el que se designa Embajador de España en la República de Sudáfrica a don Juan Ramón Parellada Soteras" (PDF). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2025.
18. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (April 2, 1977). "Real Decreto 533/1977, de 1 de abril, por el que se designa Embajador de España en la República de Sudáfrica a don Emilio Beladíez Navarro" (PDF). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2025.
19. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (July 29, 1981). "Real Decreto 1573/1981, de 24 de julio, por el que se nombra Embajador de España en la República de Sudáfrica a don José Pérez del Arco y Rodríguez" (PDF). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2025.
20. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (October 24, 1983). "Real Decreto 2699/1983, de 19 de octubre, por el que se designa Embajador de España en la República de Sudáfrica a don Federico Garayalde Emparan" (PDF). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2025.
21. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (May 14, 1988). "Real Decreto 451/1988, de 13 de mayo, por el que se designa Embajador de España en la República de Sudáfrica a don Alvaro de Castilla y Bermúdez de Cañete" (PDF). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2025.
22. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (December 2, 1991). "Real Decreto 1702/1991, de 29 de noviembre, por el que se designa a don Mariano Ucelay de Montero, Embajador de España en la República de Sudáfrica" (PDF). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2025.
23. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (September 2, 1996). "Real Decreto 1979/1996, de 23 de agosto, por el que se designa a don Miguel Ángel Carriedo Mompín Embajador de España en la República de Sudáfrica". Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2025.
24. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (February 24, 2001). "Real Decreto 191/2001, de 23 de febrero, por el que se designa a don Miguel Ángel Fernández-Mazarambroz Bernabéu Embajador de España en la República de Sudáfrica". Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2025.
25. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (August 1, 2005). "Real Decreto 983/2005, de 29 de julio, por el que se designa Embajador de España en la República de Sudáfrica a don Ramón Gil-Casares Satrústegui". Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2025.
26. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (August 30, 2008). "Real Decreto 1449/2008, de 29 de agosto, por el que se designa Embajador de España en la República de Sudáfrica a don Pablo de Benavides Orgaz". Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2025.
27. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (June 16, 2012). "Real Decreto 922/2012, de 15 de junio, por el que se designa Embajador de España en la República de Sudáfrica a don Juan Ignacio Sell Sanz". Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2025.
28. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (June 24, 2017). "Real Decreto 667/2017, de 23 de junio, por el que se designa Embajador de España en la República de Sudáfrica a don Carlos Enrique Fernández-Arias Minuesa". Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2025.
29. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation (January 12, 2022). "Real Decreto 25/2022, de 11 de enero, por el que se designa Embajador de España en la República de Sudáfrica a don Raimundo Robredo Rubio". Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2025.
30. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation (April 16, 2025). "Real Decreto 324/2025, de 15 de abril, por el que se designa Embajador de España en la República de Sudáfrica a don José Manuel Pascual García". Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2025.