In episode three of the World in Flux series, we trace how the relationship was built and what it now costs. From Soviet support for the ANC under apartheid, through four very different presidencies, to the ‘Lady R’ affair, the African Peace Initiative and the recruitment of South Africans to fight in Ukraine, this is an account of a partnership that is thinner in substance than the headlines suggest and more expensive in reputation than Pretoria acknowledges.
What You’ll Learn
- Why Soviet support for the ANC still shapes South African politics three decades after 1994.
- How policy towards Moscow shifted under presidents Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Zuma and Cyril Ramaphosa.
- Why South Africa’s position on Ukraine fractured after February 2022, and who was speaking for the country.
- What the relationship is worth in trade, and what it costs in reputation.
- Why the same questions about alignment and voice are being asked across Africa.
