The South African governments previous and ongoing insensitivity in matters of foreign policy reaches audiences far wider than they believe or perhaps anticipate.

As a result acts such as supporting President Robert Mugabe, suggesting Jon Qwelane for the post of Ugandan ambassador and refusing the Dalai Lama entry until after the World Cup occasion a backlash against this country and calls to boycott the World Cup.

The Richmark Sentinel was approached by gay activists who are calling for a boycott of the football tournament pursuant to a renowned homophobe being suggested as our representative to Uganda.

The fact that it is a crime to be gay or lesbian in 38 African countries does not sit well with the international community but giving tacit endorsement to Uganda’s lethal policies by sending them Qwelane is proving to be a step too far .

Upon further investigation it soon emerged that this is by no means the only area in respect of which our policies are attracting resentment.

The government’s decision to bar the Dalai Lama from entering South Africa in order to attend a peace conference, with further confirmation that he would not be allowed to visit until the 2010 World Cup was over drew no less criticizm than that of David Wallechinsky of the Huffington Post.

“I would never call for an athletes' boycott of the World Cup; but for spectators, that's another story.

If the president of South Africa, Kgalema Motlanthe, wants to grovel at the feet of Hu Jintao and the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party, that's his choice. But if the Dalai Lama has to wait until the World Cup is over before he visits South Africa, I guess I can wait until then too.”

There are even some like Australian journalist Peter Roebuck who go a step further and suggest that South Africa has no right to host the World Cup as a result of their policies on Zimbabwe.

“South Africa has forfeited the right to stage the 2010 football World Cup. By supporting and sustaining the holocaust unfolding in Zimbabwe, the Government has aligned itself with the ranks of evil. It is one thing to refuse to intervene when cruelty is rife in a neighbouring country, quite another to fuel it with sympathetic words, pathetic policies and required resources.”

The Richmark Sentinel is proudly South African and stands 100% behind our bid to host the world’s biggest sporting event.

It would however serve the government well to factor in the resentment and bitterness they are causing when they make these sometimes startling decisions.