South Africa and Brazil Reaffirm Strategic Economic Partnership

South Africa and Brazil reaffirmed their strategic partnership to deepen economic ties during the eighth session of the South Africa–Brazil Joint Commission. Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola stated the meeting followed a state visit to Brazil by President Cyril Ramaphosa in March, intended to provide renewed impetus to the bilateral relationship.

However, the move faced criticism from Busisiwe Mavuso, CEO of Business Leadership South Africa, who characterized the partnership as a political gesture rather than a rigorous economic strategy. Mavuso warned that a free trade agreement could harm domestic poultry and sugar industries due to economic overlaps and a significant trade deficit. In 2025, South Africa imported R27.3 billion from Brazil while exporting only R5.2 billion.

Mavuso argued that South Africa lacks a coherent trade strategy and urged the government to prioritize markets with complementary economies to prevent cheap imports from flooding the domestic market. Business Leadership South Africa has offered to support the development of a formal national trade strategy to address these vulnerabilities.