South Africa's connection with Putin's Russia - Your burning questions answered

Winter is here and we hope you are managing your way through Stage 6 power cuts. It is dismal. In the next edition, we will have an energy coach to answer all your questions about how to cope. (Sign up to Your questions Answered newsletter here)

You had many questions about South Africa’s relationship with Russia and we’ve tried to answer them. We appreciate these not only because they help to sculpt our coverage, but because you take the time to send them and we can co-create a Daily Maverick you co-own.

This month, Suné Payne tests the hotlines you asked us to. We will keep dialling for you so share your experience with us here.

Unravelling South Africa’s relationship with Russia: Your burning questions answered

Why is South Africa aligning with Russia? What can it gain?

What is the historical relationship between South Africa and Russia? [There were several questions about how the USSR helped the ANC]

What will happen if Russian President Vladimir Putin lands in South Africa in August. Will he be arrested? 

You may want to put off the trip for a while.

Many countries helped remove apartheid. Why is the ANC (government) pretending that only Russia helped them ahead of Sweden (and the rest of Scandinavia), the Frontline States (southern African post-colonial government) and everybody else? 

It may seem that way now, but South Africa always acknowledges the support of the Scandinavian countries, especially post-colonial African countries, in the country’s liberation.  

Didn’t the encroachment of Nato on the Russian (sphere of interest) have anything to do with the war on Ukraine?

This lecture by Professor John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago offers some ideas about Nato expansionism.

Will increasing economic and military relations with Russia benefit the ANC (government) or Russia more?

Economic and military relations with Russia are not a great benefit to South Africa, as the SA Reserve Bank has shown in its latest Financial Stability Review. Read Ed Stoddard here and for the long version, here’s a link to the review. It’s a must-read.

The BRICS grouping is a different kettle of fish. Read Peter Fabricius on all the countries that want to join the group.

We are still trying to get an answer from Clayson Monyela, the head of public diplomacy, on this.

Can you explain why Minister Pandor believes it would be ‘simplistic and infantile’ to call on Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine?

Here is a statement from Minister Pandor in April 2022 that is worth reading.

Doesn’t realpolitik mean South Africa should consider its own interests like the value of trade through Agoa with the US? 

Yes.

See Rebecca Davis here on what political party funding reports from the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) tell us.

What was on the Lady R, the Russian-sanctioned ship which docked in Simon’s Town in December 2022 and offloaded who knows what? 

Our colleagues Tori O’Regan and Rebecca Davis have the lowdown here and here. Hennie van Vuuren wrote here about why we should not accept that the investigation into the Lady R’s cargo will be held behind closed doors.

All Daily Maverick content is free for everyone to read. We’ll never erect a paywall because we offer a public service of delivering the truth to all. We’re not going to lie; this model makes it pretty challenging to remain sustainable. We have 17,000 voluntary members who contribute a little bit each month to help us do what we do. If you value your morning update and want to keep us going, please join us as a Maverick Insider.