Political relations
After the democratic changes and the official abolition of Apartheid in South Africa in 1994, the relations between the two countries have evolved in a positive direction. Political relations are good and friendly.
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) provided significant support for the anti-colonial struggle and efforts to end apartheid through education, scholarships and medical treatment, leaving behind a positive legacy that is still remembered today.
The former President of the Republic of Serbia, Tomislav Nikolić, and the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivan Mrkić, attended the commemoration of the death of Nelson Mandela, on 8 December 2013. The Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa, Thandi Ruth Modise, participated in the 141th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), held in Belgrade in October 2019.
The latest, fourth round of consultations between the two ministries of foreign affairs was held in Belgrade on 15 April 2026, at the level of State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, Damjan Jović, and Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa, Alvin Botes. On that occasion, the Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa also met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, Marko Đurić; the President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Marko Čadež; and the Minister of Domestic and Foreign Trade and Commissioner for EXPO 2027, Jagoda Lazarević.
Economic relations
According to data from the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia, the total trade exchange with South Africa in 2025 amounted to €128.6 million, of which €12.5 million referred to exports from the Republic of Serbia and €116.1 million to imports.
South African Investment Fund Hyprop Investments has owned the Delta City shopping centre in Belgrade since 2016.
Bilateral agreements
1. Agreement (Exchange of Letters) on the Reciprocal Notification of Criminal Convictions of Citizens. Date of signature/entry into force: 22 November 1954.
2. Protocol on Consultations between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Government of the Republic of South Africa. Date of entry into force: 6 September 2011.
Contact information
Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Pretoria: https://pretoria.mfa.gov.rs/
Embassy of South Africa in Athens, which is also a non-residential Embassy to Serbia: https://www.facebook.com/SAEmbassyAthens/
Contact information of the competent department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
Department for Africa and Middle East, phone: +381 11 306 8254, e-mail: ozabi@mfa.rs