Portugal–South Africa relations
South Africa – Portugal relations refer to the current and historical relationship between Portugal and South Africa. South Africa has an Embassy in Lisbon. It also has Honorary Consulates in Porto and Funchal, Madeira. Portugal has an Embassy in Pretoria. In addition, there are Consulates-General in Johannesburg and Cape Town, and Honorary Consulates in Durban, Port Elizabeth and Welkom. History. Exploration. The Portuguese explored the coasts of South Africa in the late 15th century, and nominally claimed them as their own with the erecting of "padrões" (large stone cross inscribed with the coat of arms of  Portugal placed there as part of a land claim). Bartolomeu Dias did so in 1486, and Vasco da Gama recorded a sighting of the Cape of Good Hope in 1497, en route to India. Apartheid. South Africa had close relations with Portugal, particularly during the time that Mozambique and Angola were Portuguese colonies. South Africa under Apartheid was ruled by the National Party, which shared common ground with the anti-communist "Estado Novo" regime of António de Oliveira Salazar in Portugal. Following Britain's decision to grant independence to its colonies in Africa, the government of Hendrik Verwoerd feared that  the newly independent states would fall under the influence of the Soviet Union, and from 1961 onwards, there were frequent meetings of South African and Portuguese intelligence operatives as well as visits of South African politicians to Portuguese-ruled Angola and Mozambique. Immigration. The early 20th century witnessed a trickle of emigrants from Madeira whose numbers greatly increased in the decades following World War II. Madeiran immigrants, who are traditionally associated with horticulture and commerce, form the largest group within South Africa's Portuguese community. The largest influx of Portuguese in South Africa occurred when Angola and Mozambique became independent  in 1975. While most Portuguese from the two former colonies either settled in Portugal or Brazil, some of them were allowed to enter South Africa. The number of Portuguese South Africans in 2010 was estimated at 80,476. There has also been a growing number of South Africans buying property in Portugal order to gain residence and retire there and be able to travel within the Schengen area. Air links. There have been no direct flights between the two countries since TAP Portugal ended services between Lisbon and Johannesburg in 2011. South African Airways, which has also discontinued flights between the  two countries, used to fly to Rome, Athens and Tel Aviv via Lisbon, as it was banned from entering the airspace of African countries opposed to its apartheid policies. Both airlines are now members of Star Alliance, and operate code share flights.