News - South Africa, Pretoria, Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria through the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Pretoria, Republic of South Africa, announces a procedure for the acceptance and selection of proposals for projects to be implemented with a grant through the Official Development Assistance of the Republic of Bulgaria, with an initial implementation period in 2027.

The Embassy of Bulgaria participated in the University of Pretoria’s International Day on 2 October 2026, presenting a glimpse of Bulgaria’s rich cultural traditions and higher education opportunities.

The Bulgarian Embassy joined the Bulgarian community in South Africa in celebrating the 118th Anniversary of Bulgaria’s Independence. The celebrations featured a programme performed by pupils of the Sluncho Bulgarian Sunday School, followed by lively traditional Bulgarian folk dances performed by the dance ensemble Bulgarian Rose. Members of the Bulgarian community and representatives of the Embassy joined in the dancing.

On 11 September 2026, a farewell reception was held at the Residence of the Bulgarian Ambassador in South Africa to mark the conclusion of the term of H.E. Mrs Maria P. Tzotzorkova, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Republic of South Africa.

On 28 August 2026, Ambassador Maria Tzotzorkova attended a farewell brunch hosted by Mr Alvin Botes, Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, in honour of the outgoing Ambassadors of Bulgaria, Slovakia and Cyprus to the Republic of South Africa.

On 5 June 2026, Ambassador Maria Tzotzorkova met with a group of music academics from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). The visit of the Bulgarian academics to South Africa was carried out under an Erasmus+ staff mobility project involving TUT, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and the Nuremberg University of Music in Germany.

On 1 June 2026, Ambassador Maria P. Tzotzorkova attended a cultural event celebrating the award of the prestigious Bulgarian distinction “Golden Lyre” to Rostislava Pashkevich-Ngubeni, Head of the Department of Music and Creative Performance at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) in Pretoria. The award was conferred by the Union of Bulgarian Music and Dance Artists in recognition of Ms Pashkevich-Ngubeni’s outstanding achievements as a composer and music educator, as well as her contribution to promoting cultural dialogue between Africa and Bulgaria. The distinction was presented by Professor Adrian Georgiev, a lecturer in music and multimedia programmes at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.

The Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Pretoria celebrated 24 May – the Day of the Bulgarian Alphabet, Education, Culture and Slavonic Literature – together with members of the Bulgarian community in South Africa.

As part of the Europe Day celebrations organised by the Delegation of the European Union in Pretoria, the Bulgarian Embassy actively participated with its own stand showcasing traditional Bulgarian dishes and products from the country’s food industry.

On 2 March, Ambassador Maria Tzotzorkova and the Embassy team joined the celebrations marking the National Day of the Republic of Bulgaria, 3 March, at the Bulgarian Cultural Club in Midrand, Johannesburg. The event was organised by the Association of Bulgarians in South Africa and brought together a large number of members of the Bulgarian community, as well as pupils from the Sluncho Bulgarian Sunday School.