South Africa: Deputy Minister Alvin Botes and the Cuban First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Gerardo Peñalver Portal, co-chairing the 16th South Africa and Cuba Joint Consultative Mechanism (JCM) in Havana, Cuba, 21 July 2022.
SA Cuba Relations date back to 1994, and Cuba has since become an established strategic partner for South Africa in the Latin American region and in multilateral fora. Ties of culture, history, shared struggles, common aspirations, and solidarity join Cuba in South Africa and the continent of Africa.
The past 28 years of diplomatic relations have experienced a robust and constructive interaction at both bilateral and multilateral levels. Both countries enjoy strong support from each other in multilateral fora.
South Africa and Cuba held a successful 15th SA-Cuba JCM meeting in Pretoria on 5 September 2019 between Deputy Minister Botes and the Cuban Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Marcelino Medina González.
The 16th South Africa-Cuba JCM meeting that was scheduled to take place in Cuba in 2020 was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is thus happening today.
In a build-up to the 16th SA-Cuba JCM, and on our 27th anniversary of bilateral relations, Minister Naledi Pandor engaged her Cuban counterpart, Minister Bruno Rodriquez Parrilla, on 3 June 2021.
The meeting discussed the deepening of bilateral and multilateral relations, vaccination programs and countering vaccine nationalism.
The 16th SA Cuba JCM is an opportunity to take stock of the outcomes of the 15th JCM and re-affirm the historic and friendly bilateral relations between South Africa and Cuba, focusing on building stronger socioeconomic ties and strengthening collaboration in regional and global issues of mutual interest.
