The confirmation that SA planned to provide Cuba with aid worth R50m to combat hunger caused by US sanctions has been met with fierce criticism — so much so that lobby group AfriForum has managed to obtain an interdict against the decision.
While the recent developments have caught the public’s attention, it is not the first donation SA has made to Cuba, nor the biggest.
In the course of the last decade, SA has provided aid to Cuba on two occasions amounting to more than R200m, according to the annual reports of the African Renaissance and International Co-operation Fund. Most of the money, however, has gone to African countries such as Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
The fund, established in 2000, was aimed at enhancing co-operation between SA and other countries, “in particular African countries”. But the funds are not exclusively earmarked for cases on the continent, as SA has given to both Cuba and Palestine since its establishment. The act only requires that the money be used for, among others, co-operation, promoting democracy, conflict prevention and resolution, development and humanitarian assistance.
Donations have been made for a range of matters, including electoral observer missions, the UN, AU, as well as VIP protection.
The graphic below lays out the aid distributed by SA over the past 15 years.
Enlarge the graphic by clicking on the icon in the top-right corner.
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