April 27 , 2023  the Embassy of the Republic of South Africa in Russia organized a reception on the occasion of the Freedom Day of South Africa. This event was dedicated to the first democratic elections in the country, held in 1994. The reception was attended by diplomatic staff and representatives of the business community.

The welcoming speech was delivered by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of South Africa to the Russian Federation, Mzuvukile Maqetuka. He noted that today South Africa represents the position of the African continent in the global South, and also plays an important role in the development of international norms and the creation of effective institutions.

The Ambassador paid special attention to the importance of the event that took place on April 27, 1994: “Thousands of people were able to vote that day – people with different political beliefs, people of different races, different faiths. So this day divided everything into “before” and “after”. Today we are sometimes called the Rainbow Country, because the diversity of cultures and nationalities in South Africa resembles all the colors of the solar spectrum.“

Relations between Russia and Africa have a long history and have always been distinguished by their versatility. The countries have been cooperating in the BRICS format for more than 10 years, actively cooperating in the field of trade and other forms of economic partnership, as well as in the creation of common cultural and educational projects.