Русский
Russian President Vladimir Putin has held a phone call with his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, the Kremlin press service has stated, saying that they “discussed issues related to the further development of mutually beneficial cooperation in the fields of trade, economy, and investment based on the Russian-South African comprehensive strategic partnership.”
In addition, the two leaders “exchanged views on pressing international issues, highlighting the importance of coordinating the approaches of Russia and South Africa, including within the G20 and BRICS. “South Africa was the G20 group chair last year.
South Africa is a founding member of BRICS and serves as an important Russian diplomatic and trade link between Russia and the African continent.
Manufacturing, retail, financial services, and other industries are important contributors to South Africa’s GDP growth and the overall economy. Food processing and the manufacturing of textiles, metals, and chemicals are the main industrial industries. Although land and water resources are often scarce, agriculture and fisheries account for a sizable amount of exports and make a substantial contribution to the local economy.
Numerous minerals are also found in abundance in South Africa, with deposits of gold, diamonds, platinum, manganese, chromium, copper, uranium, silver, beryllium, titanium, and iron ore. Mining continues to be the backbone of the South African economy, despite the fact that manufacturing has historically created more jobs and contributed a larger share of GDP than mining. This is because mining-centered holding firms continue to invest in other sectors of the economy.
There have been economic problems in South Africa, mainly related to political and ethnic divisions, some of which are affecting its relationships with the United States. For this reason, recent GDP growth has been relatively low, and the country needs an economic reset to get back on track.
South Africa is a member of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) as well as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). 2016 saw the implementation of a preferential trade agreement (PTA) with MERCOSUR, which is made up of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Although the market opening’s scope is more constrained, the PTA provides more chances to boost South Africa’s export development in the upcoming years as well as a legal and institutional framework for managing the country’s trade relations with these significant South African nations. These developments mean that South Africa has very much aligned itself as a member of the Global South.
South Africa’s population is about 63 million, with a GDP (PPP) of US$1.33 trillion in 2025, according to the World Bank. This is the highest in Africa. GDP per capita (PPP) stands at US$15,720. GDP growth in 2025 was slow at 0.8%. South Africa’s 2025 trade with Russia reached about US$1 billion, growing by 8.5%, increasing partially due to the re-introduction of direct shipping routes for the first time in over 30 years. Russian tourism to South Africa is also growing. Russian investors are looking into opportunities as diverse as gas refining, nuclear waste management, electrical equipment manufacturing, and viniculture, amongst others. Russia exports mostly wheat and fertilizers to South Africa, while in return South Africa exports mostly agricultural products such as meat and various fruits. South African wines are replacing European wines in Russian supermarkets, while South Africa’s diplomatic role via BRICS has been of great assistance in opening up Africa to Russian trade and investment. Russian accumulated investment into South Africa is estimated at being about US$1.5 billion; however, with increasing trade, it can be expected to increase.
