What interests Ukraine in South Africa?

The G20 summit ended in South Africa a few weeks ago. It was held for the first time on the African continent and definitely became the event of the year for the country. But the Ukrainian media is full of reports about the arrests by the government of South Africa of persons connected to the party of former president Jacob Zuma – uMkonto We Sizwe, who were engaged in recruiting their members for the Russian war.

South Africa is one of the most powerful economies in Africa and a state with an influential voice in international politics. Her steps often look contradictory: from joint exercises with Russia on the anniversary of the full-scale invasion to inviting the President of Ukraine for the first official visit and promising to help return Ukrainian deported children.

Ukraine is interested in how to build stable relations with a country where three capitals, almost 60 million citizens and 12 official languages ​​coexist? These issues were recently discussed at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy during the presentation of a commissioned study Ukrainian Instituteconducted MIOK and Ukrainian Association in South Africa “Republic of South Africa: cultural environment and local contexts”. It became one of the first systematic steps towards understanding modern South African culture and ways of cooperation.

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Those who read the research will learn about the main factors that shape South African culture, the advanced academic and cultural environments and how they can be collaborated with, why South Africans are united by braai and how their team became the superheroes that won the Rugby World Cup six times. But the article is not a retelling researchand a brief analysis of the development of cooperation between Ukraine and South Africa, and how Russian aggression transformed our relations.

Shared experience of the struggle for freedom The name of Nelson Mandela, a symbol of the struggle against apartheid, is well known in Ukraine. Back in Soviet times, Ukrainians provided political support to South African freedom fighters, and after the creation of the UN Committee against Apartheid, Ukraine always co-chaired it.

Diplomatic ties were established in 1992, when both began their own democratic transformations. However, the experience of recent years has shown that a common history of struggle does not guarantee automatic understanding. It is important to conduct dialogue and find mutually beneficial partnerships.

Beginnings of cooperation and cultural initiatives In the 1990s and 2000s, Ukrainian interest in Africa remained limited. Only a few enthusiasts have developed cooperation, such as the creation of a Ukrainian museum in the city of Riversdale in 2010, at the initiative of municipal mayor Chris Tate and his cooperation with the sister city of Voznesensk.

The events of 2014 changed Ukraine and Ukrainians abroad. Then, for the first time, approaches to public diplomacy are formed: the Doctrine of Information Security, the Plan of Measures for the Implementation of the Concept of Popularization of Ukraine in the World are adopted, and the Ukrainian Institute is created.

At the same time, against the background of protests and humanitarian initiatives, Ukrainians abroad are uniting. In 2017, the NGO “Ukrainian Association of South Africa” ​​was registered in South Africa, which in the same year organized the first Ukrainian Days in South Africa – with screenings of documentaries, lectures, literature exhibitions and the First Ukrainian Festival in Cape Town. Volunteer enthusiasm is supported by Ukrainian artists: Oksana Zabuzhko opens a lecture on Ukrainian literature with an introductory speech, Hanna Yanovska and Oksana Kutsenko read their poetry, and the band “Dyvyna” performs with Donetsk folklore. The representatives of the Ukrainian embassy were then rather guests than partners.

The focus of Ukrainian public diplomacy was not the youngest continent with its 54 countries, but the states of Europe and North America. However, the mechanisms created allowed embassies in different countries of the world to effectively work with Ukrainian communities.

In South Africa, thanks to a small amount of financial support and great enthusiasm, dozens of projects bringing Ukrainians and South Africans closer have been implemented. This made it possible to implement a number of initiatives, from the annual commemoration of the victims of the Holodomor to artistic projects such as performances Forest based on Lesya Ukrainka’s “Forest Song” and the creation of a Ukrainian mural in Cape Town.

A new stage after 2022 The full-scale invasion of Russia once again changed Ukrainians and the perception of Ukraine in the world. It exposed the weakness of Ukrainian contacts with the African continent, but at the same time gave impetus to the creation of a new strategy. In 2022, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs adopted the first “Ukraine-Africa Strategy”, and later – a communication strategy for the continent. Ukrainian high-ranking officials began active visits to South Africa. And the Ukrainian Institute began cooperation with three countries of the African continent and organized a large charity concert in support of deported children, with the participation of the Ukrainian band YAGODY, bandur player Anastasia Voytiuk and South African artists, including the famous South African band The Soul. European partners also contributed to the establishment of ties by supporting the visits of South African journalists, expert exchanges and advocacy events with the participation of Ukrainian experts and human rights defenders.

At the same time, South African society responded to the pain of Ukrainians and the horror of the war: thousands of South Africans joined humanitarian aid to Ukraine through Gift of the Givers and UAPAR, artists created works in support of Ukrainians, and some South Africans began to learn the Ukrainian language.

Academic cooperation and civil society dialogue Public organizations intensified partnership with Ukrainian experts in the fields of human rights, justice, UN reforms, and nuclear safety. Initiatives appeared that were impossible until 2022— The Womanly Faces of War (Sun Seed, Resilient Ukraine, UAZA), Ukraine-Africa Just Peace Dialogues, an exhibition We stand for Freedoma series of scientific notes developed by experts through the cooperation of the Desmond Tutu Foundation, the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, the Foundation for Democratic Initiatives named after Ilka Kucheriva and the Ukrainian Association of South Africa. In 2024, the Revival Fund supported more than ten public projects aimed at developing cooperation between Ukraine and the countries of the continent.

Despite positive developments, successful cooperation requires systematicity and duration. South Africa lacks Slavic studies and Ukrainian studies, and until 2022 practically no research was conducted on Ukraine, with the exception of a joint study by MIOK and UAPAR about the Ukrainian community in South Africa in 2020.

In 2025, during the visit of Olena Zelenska to South Africa, Ukrainian Global Studies signed agreements with Wits University and the University of Pretoria. Also, as part of Olena Zelenska’s project, the Ukrainian Association of South Africa, in cooperation with the Embassy of Ukraine, translated audio guide of the Apartheid Museum in Ukrainianwhich everyone can listen online for free in Voice MAP. Such steps do not create immediate cooperation, but form the basis for it.

Interest in the continent is also growing in Ukraine. After a long break, a program in African studies was opened at Shevchenko KNU, and a certificate course at NaUKMA is planned for next year. If these initiatives receive sustained resources, within a decade expertise can be formed that can take cooperation to a new level.

Challenges of mutual understanding Despite positive developments, systemicity remains the main problem. Without understanding the context of colonialism, apartheid and multiculturalism, it is impossible to have a sensitive dialogue with South Africans.

But the biggest trap is the desire of Ukrainian politicians and some experts to find a single key that will instantly open access to economic and political cooperation with all African countries, and even better that it fits all of Latin America at the same time. And not to waste time on understanding the local context, the complexity of domestic politics and history. Unfortunately, there will be no quick results here – only consistent work can ensure mutual trust and the development of mutually beneficial relationships.

Ukraine and South Africa: a common path to democracy South African public debate still revolves around cultural decolonization, African identity and the understanding of contemporary pan-Africanism. For South Africa, Ukraine is one of many European states, so it is important to convince partners of the uniqueness of the partnership based on common democratic values.

Dialogue between our countries is critically important at a time when the principles of freedom and human rights are being questioned. It is symbolic that in South Africa, in Mazepa Bay, this year the Ukrainian hetman is remembered Ivan Mazepa. Although he has never been to this coast, his name became a reminder: Ukraine and South Africa are united by the desire for freedom, dignity and democracy.

Call Kachur

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