Cooperation of the Republic of Belarus with the Republic of South Africa
Diplomatic relations between the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of South Africa were established on 4 March1993. Since January 2000 the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus has been operating in the city of Pretoria.
The legal base between the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of South Africa includes intergovernmental agreements on trade and economic cooperation, on avoiding double taxation, on scientific and technical cooperation, on military-technical cooperation, on visa-free travel through diplomatic and service passports, on cooperation in the field of culture and art, on the establishment of the Committee on Trade and Economic Cooperation.
The trade relations of the Republic of Belarus with the Republic of South Africa have the following dynamics:
(in millions of US dollars)
|
Year |
Trade Volume |
Export |
Import |
Balance |
|
2017 |
16,8 |
9,3 |
7,5 |
1,8 |
|
2018 |
24,9 |
17,2 |
7,7 |
9,5 |
|
2019 |
26,8 |
14,5 |
12,3 |
2,2 |
|
2020 |
25,7 |
18,1 |
7,6 |
10,5 |
|
2021 |
32,2 |
22,8 |
9,4 |
13,5 |
|
2021 year to 2020 year (%) |
125,3 |
126,0 |
123,7 |
|
Visits at the highest level were not carried out.
In 2006 Hon. B.Mbete, Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa, visited Belarus, in 2007 — Hon. M.Mahlangu, Chairman of the National Council of the Provinces of South Africa. In January 2025 Hon. Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces of the Republic of South Africa, visited Belarus with a delegation of international observers from the Pan-African Parliament. Belarus was also visited by the King of KwaZulu-Natal Province (1999), the Head of the Presidential Administration of South Africa and the Minister of Arts, Science and Technology (2002), Minister of State Enterprises (2006), Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy (2007).
In November 2024 H.E. Igor Sergeyenko, Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, paid a working visit to South Africa. During the visit he held a meeting with Hon. Angela Thokozile Didiza, Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of South Africa, while the Belarusian Legislature was granted observer status by the Pan-African Parliament.
The regular dialogue is maintained between the foreign ministries of Belarus and South Africa. The Foreign Ministers of Belarus visited South Africa four times (in 2000, 2006, 2014 and 2023). Ministers of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa visited Belarus three times (in 2007, 2008 and 2013).
Six rounds of political consultations were held at the Deputy FM level (the sixth one was held on December 13, 2023 in Minsk).
Four sessions of the Belarusian-South African Committee for Trade and Economic Cooperation and as many sessions of the Joint Commission for Cooperation in Science and Technology were held.
In July 2024 a singer from South Africa participated for the first time in the 33rd International Festival “Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk”. South African solo singer T.Mbatha won the Audience Award at that competition.
