The treasury statement issued by the department's spokesperson, Thoraya Pandy, is generous in praise of Zoellick, but harsh on the "flawed" process of selection that is "restricted by nationality".
The deliberate and measured statement, pointedly from the department rather than the minister of finance, Trevor Manuel, ends: "All things considered, we wish to congratulate him and wish him well in his position.
"As South Africa, we want to reiterate that the process is flawed and stand by our position as adopted by the G20 meeting in Australia last year, which clearly calls for the selection process of the head of the World Bank to be open and transparent . . . We consider Mr Robert Zoellick to be very competent and hope he will go about his work in the same manner as he demonstrated in the World Trade Organisation negotiations."
Meanwhile, officials who have worked with Zoellick describe him as non-ideological and a consensus builder who is willing to adapt his stance in order to cut a deal.
"Zoellick is a man who gets things done," said former US secretary of state James Baker.
George W Bush on Wednesday nominated Zoellick to run the world's largest development agency. He served as Bush's trade representative and deputy secretary of state before leaving last year for Goldman Sachs Group. He will take over an organisation bruised by conflicts over the bank's role in Iraq and a campaign against corruption in developing nations.
Among Zoellick's first tasks will be to reinvigorate an effort to raise $28 billion (R201 billion) that World Bank officials say is needed to help the poorest countries in the coming three years. He has experience dealing with Africa, which predecessor Paul Wolfowitz identified as the bank's biggest challenge.
Prior to his move to Goldman Sachs, Zoellick was the Bush administration's point man on dealings with China. He challenged the bank's biggest borrower to become a "responsible stakeholder" in the international system.
People who know Zoellick say his confidence stems from meticulous preparation for every negotiation and his ability to think tactically to get things done.
William Reinsch, the president of the National Foreign Trade Council, said: "I wouldn't say he is Mr Smooth ' but I have always found him to be one of the few people who is a strategic thinker about trade and foreign policy issues." ' Bloomberg.
