Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has urged his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa to strengthen its defences in light of global security risks.
Da Silva made the remarks on Monday during Ramaphosa’s attendance of the Brazil–South Africa Business Forum in Brasília.
“Here in South America, we position ourselves as a region of peace. Here, nobody has nuclear bombs, nobody has atomic bombs, here our drones are for agriculture, for technological purposes, and not for war. So we think of defence as deterrence, but I don’t know if Mr Ramaphosa realises that if we don’t prepare ourselves in terms of defence, one day someone will invade us,” da Silva said, in reference to global instability such as Israel and the United States’ recent attack on Iran.
“We need to combine our potential and see what we can produce together, build together. We don’t need to keep buying from foreign arms suppliers; we con produce,” the Brazilian leader said. “What we need is to convince ourselves that nobody will help us except ourselves.”
Brazil has a large aerospace and defence industry, and is pushing to sell Embraer’s C-390 Millenium transport aircraft to South Africa. In January, the company appointed a Business Development Director for the Southern African Region to promote its C-390 and A-29 Super Tucano, amongst other solutions. Embraer has brought its KC-390 to South Africa twice, including for the September 2024 Africa Aerospace and Defence exhibition. In April last year it signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Denel strengthen the companies’ strategic partnership with special focus on Embraer’s new generation transport aircraft.
Brazil co-developed the fifth-generation A-Darter air-to-air missile with South Africa but it was not bought by Brazil due to the state capture-linked collapse of Denel Dynamics. Brazil instead opted for the IRIS-T to equip its Gripen fighters.
Ramaphosa acknowledged that Brazil was more advanced than South Africa regarding its aerospace and defences, but said both countries could learn a lot from each other.
Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga accompanied Ramaphosa to Brazil and was due to meet with her Brazilian counterpart on Monday. They were expected to discuss expanding defence cooperation – South Africa and Brazil have for many years taken part in naval exercises alongside India (IBSAMAR).
Brazil’s foreign ministry said in a statement da Silva and Ramaphosa recognised the importance of strategic exchange between the two countries in the aerospace and defence sectors and agreed to strengthen dialogue and industrial cooperation. They welcomed the partnership between Embraer and South African companies such as Denel and Airlink (Airlink is an enthusiastic user of Embraer airliners).
“The Presidents reiterated the excellence of the bilateral relationship in the field of defence, as reflected in the holding of the IBSAMAR exercise, cooperation in jungle warfare training, the exchange of military personnel, and the joint development of a defence product,” Brazil’s foreign ministry said. “They further underscored the importance of deepening these initiatives with a view to strengthening interoperability, the defence industrial base, and cooperation for peace and security in the South Atlantic.”
They also welcomed the Brazilian promulgation of a Defence Cooperation Agreement between the two countries, which may pave the way for deepening initiatives in various military sectors, including in the field of missiles.
During his visit, Ramaphosa called for stronger economic cooperation and increased trade between South Africa and Brazil, describing the partnership between the two countries as key to advancing inclusive growth and development in the Global South.
Bilateral trade between South Africa and Brazil reached R32.5 billion in 2025, with South African exports amounting to R5.2 billion and imports from Brazil totalling approximately R27.3 billion.
Ramaphosa said the visit presents an opportunity to deepen economic ties and rebalance trade by increasing and diversifying South African exports to Brazil.
Ramaphosa identified several sectors with strong potential for industrial cooperation between the two countries. These include biofuels, defence, agro-processing, aerospace, energy, pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing and the automotive industry.
The President said collaboration in these areas should include technology transfer and skills development to support industrial growth in both economies.
Ramaphosa also highlighted the presence of South African companies operating in Brazil, including Sasol, MTN, Naspers, First National Bank, Aspen Holdings, Grindrod, Standard Bank and AngloGold Ashanti.
At the same time, Brazilian companies such as Petrobras, Embraer and Marcopolo have established operations in South Africa.
He welcomed the establishment of an aviation training academy by Embraer at OR Tambo International Airport, which aims to develop aerospace skills and strengthen South Africa’s participation in global aviation value chains.
Ramaphosa noted that Brazil’s Marcopolo has invested in automotive manufacturing in Gauteng, while industrial engineering company WEG has developed a manufacturing and distribution presence that supports South Africa’s mining, energy and water sectors.
“The foundation for greater trade and investment is in place,” he emphasised.
The President said South Africa aims to position itself as Brazil’s gateway into African markets through the African Continental Free Trade Area, while Brazil could serve as South Africa’s gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean.
Ramaphosa said the upcoming eighth session of the South Africa–Brazil Joint Commission, expected later this year, would further strengthen bilateral cooperation and extended an invitation for da Silva to undertake a State Visit to South Africa in the near future.
