R50m donation to ease food crisis not the only financial assistance given to Cuba: Dirco

The R50m that SA has pledged to donate to Cuba to ease that country’s food crisis is not the only financial assistance the government has given to Cuba.

SA gave Cuba a loan of R63m in 2018, which accrued interest of R1.366m. That loan has been fully paid back.

A second loan of R84.6m was granted in 2021, with interest of R1.7m. The Latin American country paid back its first instalment of R9.9m in December 2021.

This was revealed by the deputy minister of international relations and co-operation, Candith Mashego-Dlamini, while answering MPs’ oral questions in the National Assembly on Wednesday.

Mashego-Dlamini said it was normal practice for countries to give loans.

She said SA was also benefiting “a lot” from Cuba.

“Since 1996, we have received 96 Cuban doctors sent to us in line with our SA-Cuba relationship, which serves as an exemplary model for south-south co-operation,” she said.

Mashego-Dlamini said there were numerous government agreements governing co-operation in the areas of training, health services, human settlements, technical exchange, science and technology, public works technical assistance, co-operation on water resource management and water supply, and all professional services in the field of basic education.

“I want to remind members that as recently as April 2020, there was a 217 medical brigade that was sent to SA for 12 months to help with Covid-19 response,” she said.

Mashego was responding to ANC MP Berenice Swartz who asked her to share the kinds of support SA receives from other countries, including Cuba.

She added: “We also have 19 Cuban curriculum specialists deployed in SA in the department of basic education. They are throughout the country helping our teachers and students with mathematics, and science and technology.”

There was also an agreement whereby SA received 25 Cuban engineers who are helping on water and sanitation projects, she said.

“Because of the contribution of the Cuban doctors and the Cuban technical people who came to SA, we are able to render services that the honourable member said the R50m would disadvantage service delivery in SA,” she said in response to DA MP Mergan Chetty.

Chetty had criticised the donation as a total misallocation and misdirection of funding.

“Are you aware that the hunger rate in Cuba has stabilised at 2.5% since 2002 while SA is sitting at 12.9%?

“This is the African Renaissance Fund, and not the ANC cookie jar. In view of this are you willing to redirect this R50m funding to assist with food security here at home, as charity does begin at home? If not, why not?” asked Chetty.

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