South Africa’s Deputy President Paul Mashatile on his visit to Türkiye
Pretoria has recently opened a new chapter in its international economic diplomacy. This was evident when the Deputy President Paul Mashatile began a key working visit to Türkiye, co-chairing the first-ever Bi-National Commission (BNC) session with Turkish Vice-President Cevdet Yılmaz, in Ankara on 15 October 2025.
The BNC, first agreed to in 2012 and now activated, provides a structured mechanism for joint decision-making. By pairing it with Türkiye-Africa Business and Economic Forum (Tabef) — a critical and strategic platform attended by investors and industry specialists — Pretoria and Ankara have linked political commitment with commercial action.
As part of strengthening the economic ties and enhancing interactions between business communities and Türkiye, the South African delegation, led by Mashatile, was in Istanbul for the 5th Tabef.
South Africa’s participation in the Tabef and bilateral meetings with key role players, has elevated trade relations with Türkiye and cemented South Africa’s position as Türkiye’s largest trading partner in Sub-Saharan Africa and a key partner in Africa and the Global South.
For South Africa, the symbolism is clear — this was not just another polite bilateral courtesy call. The two significant events provided South Africa with the opportunity to establish a framework for improved bilateral cooperation that benefits South African-Turkish economic relations.
Through the BNC, South Africa and Türkiye provided a channel for resolving trade bottlenecks, aligning policy priorities and monitoring delivery. Conversely, Tabef served as a marketplace that several Turkish and African firms engaged with a purpose to collaborate and secure agreements across diverse sectors such as agriculture, energy, defence, logistics, mining and digital services.
Too often, emerging-market partnerships die in the gap between good intentions and bureaucratic apathy. By co-locating the BNC and Tabef, both South Africa and Türkiye have reduced that lag — and increased the odds that political promises will transform into investments and technology transfers.
At the Tabef closing ceremony on 17 October, Mashatile outlined a bold vision for South Africa and Africa, emphasising how shared strengths and strategic partnerships can position the continent as a key player in global leadership. He highlighted our G20 presidency, the first for any African country and laid out a development agenda built on the themes of “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability”, with priorities including strengthening disaster resilience and response; ensuring debt sustainability for low-income countries; mobilising finance for a just energy transition and harnessing critical minerals for inclusive growth and sustainable development.
It is for these reasons that the partnership with Türkiye takes on even greater significance. The nations share a commitment to inclusive growth, sustainable development and the pursuit of a just global order.
Pretoria and Ankara are not only enhancing bilateral cooperation but also advancing a shared vision for a more equitable and resilient world economy by aligning South Africa’s G20 priorities with Türkiye’s increasing influence in global markets.
Türkiye’s expertise in engineering, construction and technology can support industrialisation, energy infrastructure and critical minerals beneficiation.
South Africa’s resources, combined with Turkish capital and contracting muscle, create a platform for projects that deliver jobs, skills transfer and regional economic integration.
Mashatile also celebrated the AU’s inclusion in the G20, amplifying Africa’s voice in global economic governance. Tabef, in turn, is a microcosm of that vision — a space where African and Turkish firms can collaborate to scale technology, innovation and industrial capacity across the continent.
This partnership aims to diversify trade between Türkiye and South Africa, potentially doubling bilateral trade, which currently amounts to $1 billion to 1.4 billion annually, through improved logistics, regulatory alignment and targeted investment. Other areas of collaboration between the two countries include:
· Infrastructure and industrial collaboration: Turkish engineering and construction firms could modernise South African ports, rail and green energy projects; create jobs and foster skills transfer — directly aligning with Mashatile’s call for investments that benefit ordinary South Africans.
· Technology and defence cooperation: Turkish aerospace and defence firms could integrate with local suppliers, advancing South African capabilities in advanced materials and radar systems.
· Finance and project pipelines: Tabef’s focus on financing South-South projects opens access to export credit, private equity and sovereign-backed infrastructure funds.
South Africa’s task is to channel these flows into labour-intensive sectors, small and medium enterprise participation and local value chains, avoiding trophy megaprojects with minimal domestic impact.
Throughout this working visit, Mashatile’s message was clear — vision must be matched by delivery. He urged delegates to practise the discipline of execution, emphasising that the success of the partnership will depend on effective implementation, institutional coordination and sustained economic diplomacy.
Mashatile noted that it is through the discipline of execution that we could see double-digit growth in trade and investment, with mid-sized infrastructure and renewable projects moving from memorandums of understanding to construction.
The goal of South Africa in this partnership is clear — the country wants to create real jobs, factories and export opportunities, in line with Mashatile’s vision for critical minerals, energy transition and industrialisation.
What remains after this successful visit is to ensure that there is quarterly reporting on BNC deliverables, milestones and investment targets, led by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, and to embed local supplier and apprenticeship clauses in major projects and partnerships.
What is critical is that South Africa-Türkiye cooperation has progressed from mere promise to tangible potential. What we need to do is to build on previous accomplishments while capitalising on available opportunities to increase trade and investment volume in the respective countries.
In working together with a common purpose, this relationship could become a cornerstone of South Africa’s post-pandemic industrial strategy — amplifying Africa’s voice in global economic governance while delivering tangible gains for ordinary citizens. The test now is delivery.
Gadija Brown is the economic advisor to Deputy President Paul Mashatile.