On occasion of the 29th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Africa and Cuba, an opinion article by Havana’s ambassador to Pretoria, Enrique Orta, has been published in the Cape Times newspaper.
The Cuban diplomat recalls that official bilateral ties were established during Fidel Castro’s visit to South Africa to attend the inauguration of the anti-apartheid and African National Congress (ANC) leader, Nelson Mandela.
Cuba was the first country to receive diplomatic recognition from the ANC government headed by Mandela. However, the ties date back to the 1960s, when the first fighters against apartheid went to Cuba to study, receive medical care and military training.
They were further strengthened during the struggles against the apartheid regime, when both countries fought together for racial equality, freedom and justice.
The formal establishment of relations between the two nations gave new impetus to bilateral collaboration. The article details that during those years, there has been cooperation in the fields of housing, science and technology, agriculture, infrastructure development, human settlements, information and communication technologies, and culture.
In particular, throughout these 29 years, more than 600 Cuban doctors have treated millions of South Africans, especially in rural areas of the country. Cuba has also trained more than 2,500 South African students, who graduated in different specialties, the majority through the Nelson Mandela-Fidel Castro scholarship program, specializing in Medicine.
In the international arena, Orta points out that South Africa have maintained a firm position against the US economic, commercial and financial blockade on Cuba.
He concluded that Cuba and South Africa, although separated geographically, are united by history, common struggle, brotherhood, and solidarity.
