Relationship dossier
South Africa
United Arab Emirates
Relationship assessment
Economic and strategic cooperation alongside friction over extradition requests
South Africa toward United Arab Emirates
+20South Africa has pursued strategic and economic cooperation with the UAE through bilateral arrangements. It also sought the extradition of the Gupta brothers from the UAE, an issue that became a source of friction after the UAE rejected the requests in 2023.
United Arab Emirates toward South Africa
+15The UAE has engaged in bilateral strategic and investment-related cooperation with South Africa. Its 2023 rejection of South African extradition requests concerning the Gupta brothers added a point of tension.
Overall relationship
+20The relationship combines bilateral economic and strategic cooperation with a significant dispute over extradition requests. These features support a generally cooperative but not friction-free relationship.
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
South Africa and the United Arab Emirates have pursued economic and strategic cooperation, including a bilateral strategic partnership and investment-related agreements. Relations have also faced friction over South Africa’s requests for the extradition of the Gupta brothers, which the UAE rejected in 2023. The scope and implementation of bilateral cooperation are not fully clear.
Areas of tension
- The UAE’s 2023 rejection of South African requests to extradite the Gupta brothers.
Key developments
South Africa and the UAE established a bilateral strategic partnership.
The UAE rejected South African extradition requests concerning the Gupta brothers.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral economic and strategic arrangements are unclear.
- The continuing status of South Africa’s extradition requests concerning the Gupta brothers is unclear.