Republic of South Africa
Brazil and South Africa established diplomatic relations in 1948 (the year when the Brazilian diplomatic legation was established in Pretoria). Since 1918 Brazil had a Consulate in Cape Town. South Africa established its Legation in Brazil in 1948, which was elevated to a Representative Office in 1952, and later to an Embassy in 1971.
Both countries maintain open dialogue channels in multilateral forums and provide frequent mutual support for their candidacies in international organizations. They are members of the IBSA, BRICS, BASIC, financial G20 and commercial G20 and maintain an intense bilateral agenda marked by the elevation to "Strategic Partnership" in 2010. Topics of the bilateral agenda include defense and security, nuclear energy, investments, cooperation, and access to markets.
Trade exchange, consisting largely of manufactured goods, totaled nearly $2.63 billion in 2022, with a Brazilian surplus of $817.5 million (Source: Comex Stat – Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services).
Chronology of bilateral relations
2023 – The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of South Africa, Naledi Pandor, represented her country in the inauguration ceremony of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
2020 – Videoconference held between Foreign Ministers Ernesto Araúo and Naledi Pandor
2019 – Presidents Jair Bolsonaro and Cyril Ramaphosa meet on the sidelines of the 11th BRICS Summit of Heads of State and Government (Brasília, November 14, 2019)
2019 – 11th BRICS Summit of Heads of State and Government (Brasília, November 13 and 14, 2019)
2019 – Sixth Meeting of the Joint Brazil-South Africa Cooperation Commission, at the level of senior officials (Pretoria, October 17-18, 2019)
2019 – The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ernesto Araujo, and the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, Naledi Pandor meet on the sidelines of the Third Meeting of the BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs (Rio de Janeiro, July 26, 2019)
2019 – Third Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs (Rio de Janeiro, July 26, 2019)
2019 – Informal Meeting of BRICS Leaders on the sidelines of the G20 (Osaka, 28 June 2019)
2019 – Defense Minister Fernando Azevedo e Silva attends the inauguration ceremony for the second term of President Cyril Ramaphosa (Pretoria, May 25, 2019)
2019 – Presidents Jair Bolsonaro and Cyril Ramaphosa meet on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (Davos, 24 January 2019)
2018 – Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs / International Relations (New York, September 27)
2018 – IBSA Ministerial Meeting on the sidelines of the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (New York, September 27)
2018 – 10th BRICS Summit of Heads of State and Government (Johannesburg, July 26 and 27)
2017 – Eighth IBSA Trilateral Ministerial Commission Meeting – India, Brazil and South Africa dialogue forum (Durban, October 17
2017 – IBSA Ministerial Meeting on the sidelines of the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (New York, September 21)
2017 – BRICS Leaders Summit – Xiamen, China (September 3 to 5)
2017 – Informal meeting of BRICS leaders on the occasion of the G20 Summit (Hamburg, Germany, July 7)
2017 – Meeting of BRICS Foreign Ministers (Beijing, June 18 and 19)
2017 – The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aloysio Nunes Ferreira, visits South Africa (May)
2017 – 24th BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change (Beijing, China, April 11)
2016 – 23rd BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change (Morocco, October 17)
2016 – 22nd BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change (New Delhi, April 7)
2015 – BRICS Leaders meet in Antalya, Turkey, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit (November 15)
2015 – BRICS Foreign Ministers meet in New York, on the sidelines of the 70th Annual Session of the United Nations General Assembly (September 29)
2015 – 20th BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change (New York, 28 June)
2014 – The President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, visits Brazil to participate in the 6th BRICS Summit (July 16)
2013 – IBSA Foreign Ministers meet on the sidelines of the 68th UN General Assembly (New York, 25 September)
2013 – 16th BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India and China) Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change (Foz do Iguaçu, September 15 and 16)
2013 – The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane visits Brazil (July 30)
2013 – President Dilma Rousseff visits South Africa to participate in the 5th BRICS Summit in Durban (March)
2013 – 5th meeting of the Joint Brazil-South Africa Cooperation Commission
2012 – BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India and China) Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change (Brasília, September 20 and 21)
2012 – India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Ministerial Meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (January 28)
2011 – President Dilma Rousseff visits South Africa on the occasion of the 5th IBSA Summit, in Pretoria (October 18)
2011 – IBSA Ministerial Meeting on the sidelines of the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (New York, September 23)
2011 – BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India and China) Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change (Inhotim – MG, August 26 and 27)
2011 – Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio de Aguiar Patriota visits South Africa (Pretoria, July 24)
2011 – Seventh Meeting of the IBSA Forum Joint Trilateral Committee (New Delhi, March 8)
2011 – IBSA Ministerial Meeting (New York, February 11)
2010 – Signing of the Strategic Partnership
2010 – President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visits South Africa (July)
2010 – 4th Meeting of the Joint Brazil-South Africa Cooperation Commission
2010 – 4th IBSA Summit – India, Brazil and South Africa dialogue forum (Brasília, April)
2009 – President Jacob Zuma visits Brazil (October)
2008 – 3rd IBSA Summit – India, Brazil and South Africa dialogue forum (New Delhi, October)
2007 – 2nd IBSA Summit – India, Brazil and South Africa dialogue forum (Pretoria, October)
2007 – President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visits South Africa
2006 – 1st IBSA Summit – India, Brazil and South Africa Dialogue Forum (Brasília, September)
2004 – 3rd Meeting of the Joint Brazil-South Africa Cooperation Commission
2004 – Trade between the two countries totals more than $1 billion
2003 – 2nd Meeting of the Joint Brazil-South Africa Cooperation Commission
2003 – President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visits South Africa
2002 – 1st Meeting of the Brazil-South Africa Joint Cooperation Commission
1998 – President Nelson Mandela visits Brazil
1996 – President Fernando Henrique Cardoso pays a visit to South Africa, the first by a Brazilian president to the country
1994 – Total lifting of sanctions imposed by Decree No. 91.524 / 85
1992 - Partial lifting of Brazilian sanctions imposed by Decree No. 91.524 / 85; and appointment of an ambassador to head the diplomatic mission in Pretoria
1991 – One year after his release, Nelson Mandela visits Brazil
1985 – Decree No. 91,524 (August 9) establishes restrictions on the relations with South Africa, in repudiation of the apartheid
1974 – Brazilian Legation is elevated to an Embassy, but headed by a chargés d'affaires, in repudiation of the apartheid policy
1971 – The South African Representative Office is elevated to an Embassy, in Brasília
1952 – The South African Legation in Rio de Janeiro is elevated to a Representative Office
1948 – Opening of the South African Legation in Rio de Janeiro.
1948 – Opening of the Legation of Brazil in Pretoria (the Legation was created by Decree No. 23,943, of October 28, 1947, and established in October 1948)
1948 – Establishment of diplomatic relations (January 31)
1918 – Creation of the Consulate of Brazil in Cape Town (Decree nº 12,996, of April 24)