Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has described relations between South Africa and Cuba as solidarity in practice.

He was speaking after meeting his Cuban counterpart Salvador Valdes Mesa in Pretoria on Wednesday night.

The two leaders discussed ways of strengthening political, economic and trade relations between the two countries.

Vice President Valdes Mesa also paid a courtesy call on President Jacob Zuma.

The Cuban healthcare is widely respected and seen as a model for developing countries.

One of the main draw-cards of Cuba’s approach is its achievements in primary healthcare and proactive disease prevention in a country with a large rural population.

Currently the Cuban government has 400 doctors working in South Africa and is giving medical training to at least 3000 South African students.

Again Cuban engineers are currently working in SA under the auspices of the SA/Cuba Agreement on Cooperation in the fields of Water Resource Management and Water Supply.

Ramaphosa says this is a testimony that relations between the two countries are truly genuine.