RUSSIA–SOUTH AFRICA RELATIONS: BEYOND REVIVAL

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs analyses the state of Russia–South Africa relations as of October 2013. It examines the historical development of bilateral ties, the mechanisms of political and economic cooperation, and the challenges hindering deeper engagement, such as weak civil society links and a lack of mutual knowledge.

• Russia and South Africa have established a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, signed on 26 March 2013, which details cooperation across political, economic, trade, scientific, technological, and cultural fields.
• Bilateral trade grew significantly from $138.1 million in 2002 to almost $1 billion in 2012, with the trade balance favoring South Africa. In 2012, Russian exports were $278.7 million and Russian imports were $685.6 million.
• Major Russian companies are active in South Africa's mining sector: Renova Group focuses on manganese ore, Norilsk Nickel on nickel, and Evraz Group on vanadium and steel. Renova invested $350 million in 2012 for the United Manganese Kalahari project.
• Aviation and nuclear energy are key areas of technical cooperation. This includes a 10-year contract implemented in 2011 for the supply of Russian-beneficiated uranium to the Koeberg power plant and the establishment of a joint helicopter maintenance centre in Johannesburg in March 2013.
• Scientific cooperation is focused on space, mining, and nuclear research. Russia launched a South African satellite from Baikonur in 2009 and supports the Square Kilometer Array radio telescope project.
• There is a significant imbalance between political and civil society ties. While governmental coordination is active, civil-society linkages are described as "far weaker," with failed attempts to create friendship societies and limited cultural exchanges.
• A primary obstacle to the growth of bilateral relations is a mutual lack of knowledge about each other's situations, exacerbated by biased or negative portrayals in the mass media of both countries.
• Academic and linguistic ties are underdeveloped in South Africa; while Russia conducts South African studies, South African studies of Russia are limited to a single language course at UNISA and very few students studying in Russia.

APA

Arkhangelskaya, A., & Shubin, V. (2013). RUSSIA–SOUTH AFRICA RELATIONS: BEYOND REVIVAL. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Policy-Briefing-75.pdf

Chicago

Arkhangelskaya, Alexandra, and Vladimir Shubin. RUSSIA–SOUTH AFRICA RELATIONS: BEYOND REVIVAL. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2013. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Policy-Briefing-75.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Arkhangelskaya |first1=Alexandra |last2=Shubin |first2=Vladimir |title=RUSSIA–SOUTH AFRICA RELATIONS: BEYOND REVIVAL |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=October 2013 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Policy-Briefing-75.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{arkhangelskaya2013russiasouth, author = {Arkhangelskaya, Alexandra and Shubin, Vladimir}, title = {{RUSSIA–SOUTH AFRICA RELATIONS: BEYOND REVIVAL}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2013}, month = oct, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Policy-Briefing-75.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }