Relationship dossier
Norway
South Africa
Relationship assessment
A cooperative relationship shaped by Norway’s support for South Africa’s democratic transition and subsequent bilateral engagement.
Norway toward South Africa
+35Norway opposed apartheid and supported the transition to democracy in South Africa, including through support for the anti-apartheid movement. After the transition, the Norwegian government engaged in bilateral development cooperation with South Africa.
South Africa toward Norway
+30The South African government has engaged Norway in bilateral political and development cooperation since the end of apartheid, including through bilateral cooperation arrangements. The breadth and continuity of these programmes are unclear.
Overall relationship
+35The relationship’s enduring basis is Norway’s opposition to apartheid and support for South Africa’s democratic transition, followed by bilateral political engagement and development cooperation. These features support a cooperative assessment, although the depth and continuity of specific programmes are uncertain.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Norway opposed apartheid and supported the transition to democracy in South Africa. Since the transition, the governments have maintained bilateral cooperation, including development cooperation and political engagement. The relationship is cooperative, though the scope and continuity of specific joint programmes are not fully clear.
Key developments
Norway supported the anti-apartheid movement and South Africa’s transition to democracy.
Norway and South Africa established bilateral development cooperation following the democratic transition.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral development cooperation are unclear.
- The extent of recent political and sector-specific cooperation is uncertain.