Mr Eltie Links also distinguished himself as a senior diplomat in the South African Foreign Service.

South Africa’s membership of multilateral financial institutions was all being renegotiated during the early part of the nineties and Eltie played a strategic role in most of these negotiations.Chief among these were the re-entry into the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, the African Development Bank and the African Caribbean and Pacific Group of Countries. But primary amongst these negotiations were those with the European Union in the mid nineties.

The now well-known Trade, Development and Cooperation (TDCA) was the major part of the agreements with the Europeans. Others included the Wines and Spirits Agreement, the Science and Technology Agreement and the membership of the Lome Convention. Since retiring from public service, Eltie continued to play a role in the trade and economic arena, especially at the academic institutions.

He helped to create the now established Investment and Trade Policy Centre at Pretoria University and continues to publish and lecture on international trade issues. He is also a strategic resource for Nepad in the area of Intra- Africa trade. He has recently been appointed by President Jacob Zuma as a member of the BBBEE Advisory Council.