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Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale
World
RFI

South Africa and Russia, the 'strange bedfellows'

South Africa ANC Vladimir Putin Cyril Ramaphosa Russia Africa United States BRICS Pretoria John Steenhuisen
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Strel'na outside Saint Petersburg last month. © Sergei BOBYLYOV / TASS Host Photo Agency/AFP

Johannesburg (AFP) – South Africa's hosting of a BRICS summit next week has turned a spotlight on ties between Pretoria and the Kremlin that are cosy and, for some, a puzzle.

Moscow and South Africa's African National Congress forged relations during the Cold War, when the Soviet Union backed the ANC's fight against apartheid.

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