Russia’s influence in southern Africa is facing a significant challenge as the region’s historical memory of the Soviet Union’s role in liberation movements begins to fade. 

Lwazi Somya, manager of research and development at the Southern African Liaison Office, made this observation during the Russia-Africa conference co-hosted by the Valdai Discussion Club and the South African Institute of International Affairs in Pretoria.

He warned that the decline in electoral support for former liberation movements in southern Africa could signal a loss of historical memory in Russia’s relations with African countries, potentially eroding the soft power gained during the Soviet Union era. 

“Russia has to engage with the decline of support to former liberation movements within southern Africa in terms of electoral support,” he said.

Somya cited the recent meeting of southern African liberation movements, where Russia was mentioned only once in the declaration, as evidence of the diminishing influence. 

He also pointed out that Russia’s trade relations with South Africa are relatively low, ranking 46th as an export partner and 39th as a source of imports.

“The ideological dilution of governance within southern Africa” and the emergence of a new generation without attachment to the liberation history are further challenges for Russia, Somya said. 

“Young people are forgetting the historical role Russia played, and therefore those historic memory connections Russia has predicated on and relied on in terms of soft power are declining,” he added.

Godwin Gonde, a lecturer at the Dr Salim Ahmed Salim Centre for Foreign Regions in Tanzania, noted that Russian-African relations have evolved, spanning pre-colonial, liberation Struggle, Cold War, and post-Cold War eras. 

However, he emphasised that the current generation often lacks knowledge of this history, and that Russia’s re-engagement with Africa is taking place in a vastly different context.

“The future generation will no longer have the same historical context and good notion of relations,” Gonde said, highlighting the importance of learning from past experiences to move forward as global partners. 

He added that Russia’s renewed engagement with Africa comes at a time when the continent is struggling to find its footing in a rapidly changing world.

Munyaradzi Nyakudya, chairperson of the Department of Peace, Security and Society at the University of Zimbabwe, praised the Russians for their trade cooperation investments made in his country.

“I think they are doing a lot in terms of trying to get into mining and energy. We have seen some cultural exchanges. We have seen quite a number in terms of the scholarships and education exchanges,” he said.

However, Nyakudya noted that despite significant developments on the ground, the visibility of Russia’s presence in Zimbabwe is lacking, and the relationship between the two countries has faced criticism for being elitist.

He bemoaned the fact that the benefits of the partnership are not trickling down to the grassroots level, where the country’s resources are being exported as raw materials.

rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za

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