Poland in South Africa

Please be informed that due to the Polish public holiday the Embassy of the Republic of Poland and Consular Section in Pretoria will be closed on 16 June 2022.

The Polish School year 2021/2022 in South Africa officially ended on 5 June 2022. The students of the Polish School at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria received their awards and school certificates and started their holidays, despite the fact that the school calendar in South Africa is different than in Poland.

The Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria celebrated the Children's Day at the Mary Immaculate Nursery School in Johannesburg on June 1, 2022. The kindergarten is run in an exemplary manner by Polish and South African nuns from the Congregation of the Sisters Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lyndhurst in Johannesburg.

The Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to South Africa, Andrzej Kanthak, met with a group of South African artists who will perform within a framework of the MusicXwords project at the Globaltica festival in Gdynia on 14-16 July 2022.

The Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) hereby announces the eight edition of the international „Witness of History" award. This is an honorary distinction established in March 2009 by ordinance of the IPN's President and conferred by the Institute.

On 18 May 2022, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on Good Neighbourliness, Friendly Relations and Cooperation between Poland and Ukraine. Given our centuries of shared history, close cultural affinities and long-lasting social bonds, along with common and complementary interests in the face of security challenges in Central and Eastern Europe, no-one in Warsaw or Kyiv doubted back in the early 1990s that the only way forward for Poland and Ukraine was a strategic partnership between our two countries. Hence, Poland was the first country to recognise Ukraine’s declaration of independence, showing solidarity with a state that was just embarking on its path to freedom and democracy.

The Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria hosted a solemn farewell to Father Bogdan Wilkaniec, who served as a priest in South Africa in the years 1999 - 2022. The meeting was attended by the Polish Ambassador to South Africa, Andrzej Kanthak, and the Consul of the Republic of Poland, Michał Gierwatowski.

On April 25 - May 1, 2022 a delegation from the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) paid a working visit to South Africa and Zimbabwe. The main purpose of the trip was to promote the flagship project of the Institute - "Trails of Hope. The Odyssey of Freedom” - and the opening of the restored Polish cemetery in Rusape (Zimbabwe).

On May 5, 2022, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria solemnly celebrated the National Day of the 3 May Constitution. On 3 May 1791, Poland adopted the first constitution in Europe and the second in the world. It reflected the ideals of enlightenment, law, freedoms and religious tolerance, becoming one of the most significant symbols of Polish statehood and independence.

An article by the President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda, “Solidarity in the face of Russian aggression” was published in the Polish monthly “Wszystko Co Najważniejsze”. We encourage you to read the content of the article.