The Limitations and Implications of Russia-South Africa Relations: An Afro-Decolonial Critique

Abstract

Russia's re-engagement with the African continent in the 21st Century has received much attention from academics, scholars, and media alike. Russia-South Africa relations have equally been the subject of scholarly debate and criticism. A glance at the discourse of the two countries relations shows that scholars focused on their cooperation in multilateral institutions and forums, the deepening of their ties during Jacob Zuma's administration, which is purported to have brought a shift in South Africa's foreign policy; Russia's endeavor to use South Africa as a steppingstone to engage the African continent; Moscow's reluctance to support the reform of the United Nations Security Council; barriers of trade between the two countries and red tape that prevents South Africa from fully exploiting the economic opportunities in Russia. The literature also covers the trade patterns during Thabo Mbeki's tenure and the decline of Russia-South Africa relations within the administration of the sitting South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa. Taping on the lacunae left by previous studies, the current article provides an Afro-Decolonial critique of Russia's South Africa policy's limitations and implications for Pretoria's growth and development objectives. Methodologically, this is a desktop qualitative article that relied on secondary data and employed thematic content analysis.