Donald Bell Sole

Donald Bell Sole entered South Africa’s diplomatic service in 1938 and remained in it until 1982. His career included assignments in Austria, Germany, and the United States, together with service as a counsellor and deputy director-general in Pretoria. Long before his Washington ambassadorship, he participated in the international negotiations that established the International Atomic Energy Agency. ^{2, 4}

Sole became the third chairman of the IAEA’s Board of Governors. The agency’s historian, David Fischer, credited him with helping restore decision making by consensus after Cold War divisions had disrupted the board’s early proceedings. ⁴

He presented his credentials in Washington on 16 May 1977. In November he accompanied foreign affairs official Brand Fourie to talks with National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski. The American adviser linked negotiations over Namibia and Rhodesia, nuclear questions, and South Africa’s repression following Steve Biko’s death. Sole attended as ambassador while Fourie led the South African replies, arguing that Pretoria needed time to respond to international demands. ^{1, 3}

After leaving diplomatic service, Sole served on the boards of SASOL and the Atomic Energy Board. He also chaired the Cape Town branch of the South African Institute of International Affairs in 1986–1987 and again in 1996. ²