Pretoria, May 11, 2024 - Cuba and South Africa are celebrating today the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, characterised by the spirit of brotherhood and solidarity between both governments and peoples.
In its institutional profile on X, the Cuban Foreign Ministry ratified the will to continue consolidating the fraternal ties between both parties.
Although contacts between the two peoples date back to the early 1960s, these ties were formalised during the visit of the historic leader of the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro, to the African nation in 1994. On that occasion, Fidel Castro attended the inauguration of the newly elected President Nelson Mandela.
On the other hand, one of Mandela's first trips abroad, after his release, was to Cuba in 1991, when he was decorated with the José Martí Order, the highest distinction awarded by the island.
The formalisation of bilateral relations with Cuba was considered one of the first foreign policy acts of the democratic South African government. In fact, Cuba was the first country to receive diplomatic recognition from the government of the African National Congress (ANC), the party in power since then in South Africa.
After 30 years of relations, Cuba and South Africa maintain a political dialogue at the highest level, as well as a multifaceted cooperation of mutual benefit. Both nations are also aligned on numerous issues on the global agenda and maintain fruitful cooperation at the multilateral level through mechanisms such as the Non-Aligned Movement, the Group of 77 and China, and the United Nations.
South Africa has also maintained a historic position of support in the fight against the economic, commercial and financial blockade of the US government against the Cuban people, voting consistently, every year, in favour of the Cuban resolution presented to the UN General Assembly, demanding an end to this policy of economic asphyxiation.
(Cuban Embassy in South Africa-Prensa Latina)