Qatar–South Africa relations Qatar–South Africa relations Qatar – South Africa relations are the bilateral relations between the State of Qatar and the Republic of South Africa. Formal relations began on 10 May 1994, the same day that Nelson Mandela was sworn in as President of South Africa. Qatar opened an embassy in the suburb of Brooklyn in Pretoria in January 2003. South Africa's embassy in Doha was established in September 2002. President Nelson Mandela made his first visit to Qatar in April 1995. The first Qatari head of state to visit South Africa was Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, who did so in May
South African cricket team in England in 1994 the team enjoyed overwhelming support back home, with Jonty Rhodes being identified as a new hero among young black cricketers in South Africa. South Africa's deputy president, Thabo Mbeki, flew to London for the First Test, and Dr Ali Bacher was feted at a Lord's Taverners dinner on the eve of the Test, where he gave a speech outlining the development plan for cricket in South Africa's townships. Despite all the media attention, Wessels was keen to keep the focus on cricket, rather than politics. "We're a more confident side now, though," he said the day before the First Test,