Lack of colonial baggage & investment in peace put Russia ahead of other players on African continent, SA minister tells RT

The time is right for Russia to sit with African leaders and companies in order to forge economic relationships and partnerships, South Africa’s Minister of State and Security Ayanda Dlodlo told RT.

“What becomes important for us is to acknowledge the fact that Russia has never colonized any country. Russia has never pushed any country to a relationship that would seek to exploit the mineral wealth, the natural resources,” Dlodlo said in an interview on the sidelines of the first ever Russia-Africa summit in Sochi.

Russia, and the Soviet Union before it, has traditionally invested in peace in Africa instead of pursuing economic goals, according to Dlodlo.

“In fact, this is why Russia may be slow in coming to the party to start conversing with the continent, to exploit in a positive way the economic opportunities that exist in the African continent,” Dlodlo said.

Talking about the relations between Russia and South Africa, she said the summit opens up new opportunities that are outside the BRICS trade bloc, “country-to-country from economic perspective.”

The economies of both countries will only grow from the expertise that Russia has and what South Africa can offer, she said. The minister added that Russian companies such as Renova, Gazprom, Rosatom, and others have already begun investing in South Africa.

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