Power and influence: identifying champions of change in SADC

The policy brief examines the disproportionate dominance of South Africa within SADC and proposes a model of 'regional champions'—member states taking lead roles in specific sectors—to foster more equitable regional integration. It analyses current power dynamics using economic, military, and diplomatic metrics, identifying potential leaders in industrialisation, infrastructure, and security. The author suggests that South Africa can reduce its regional hegemony and the associated accusations of 'bullying' by supporting a more distributed leadership structure based on the comparative advantages of other member states.

• South Africa maintains a disproportionate level of power and influence in SADC due to its economy, population, military, and technology, though its relative growth has been outstripped by some other member states in recent years.
• Tanzania is projected to have the fastest-growing economy in SADC by 2040, with its GDP expected to increase by 500% from 2015 levels, and it possesses the fastest-growing manufacturing sector in absolute terms.
• While South Africa dominates manufacturing, other states have championed specific RISDP priorities: Zimbabwe has driven the industrialisation agenda since 2014, and Mauritius has excelled in promoting regional economic integration and private sector involvement.
• In terms of infrastructure and energy, Namibia has prioritised infrastructure development during its 2018/2019 SADC chair tenure, specifically through the Walvis Bay port upgrade, while Mozambique is identified as a potential lead for the regional gas mechanism due to its large reserves.
• Peace and security leadership is distributed; South Africa has the greatest military power, but Tanzania, South Africa, Zambia, and Malawi are the primary SADC contributors to UN peacekeeping operations.
• The document proposes replacing or reforming the rotational Double Troika system with a 'champions' model—similar to the African Union's approach—where countries are assigned lead roles in priority areas for three-year terms to increase ownership and implementation.

APA

Louw-Vaudran, L. (2019). Power and influence: identifying champions of change in SADC. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pb125.pdf

Chicago

Louw-Vaudran, Liesl. Power and influence: identifying champions of change in SADC. Institute for Security Studies, 2019. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pb125.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Louw-Vaudran |first1=Liesl |title=Power and influence: identifying champions of change in SADC |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=2019 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pb125.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{louwvaudran2019power, author = {Louw-Vaudran, Liesl}, title = {{Power and influence: identifying champions of change in SADC}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2019}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pb125.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }