South Africa and South Sudan: Lessons for post-conflict development and peacebuilding partnerships

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies examines South Africa's post-conflict development and peacebuilding engagements in South Sudan. It highlights the historical ties between the ANC and SPLM, evaluates various capacity-building and economic interventions, and argues for a more coordinated, strategic approach aligned with African Union frameworks to ensure sustainable impact and local ownership.

• South Africa's engagement in South Sudan is rooted in long-standing fraternal relations between the African National Congress (ANC) and the South Sudan People’s Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M), based on shared experiences of "exclusion, repression, racism, armed struggle and exile".
• South Africa has implemented significant capacity-building initiatives, including a tripartite MoU signed in 2004 with UNISA and the SPLM that trained over 1,000 officials by January 2010 in areas such as public finance management, diplomacy, and policing.
• Due to limited funding, South Africa frequently utilizes trilateral arrangements where it provides expertise while a third party provides the funding, such as agreements with the Norwegian government for police training and the German government for rule of law institutions.
• South African economic engagement is limited despite trade emphasis; however, SAB Miller established a brewery in 2009 with a $37 million investment, creating over 500 jobs and providing clean water to the local community.
• The brief identifies a lack of coordination across South African government departments' international development initiatives, which lack a coherent overarching policy. To address this, the formation of a development agency, SADPA, is intended to provide strategic direction.
• The authors recommend that South Africa adopt a 'track-two' approach to development that prioritizes local ownership and engages directly with civil society and women's organisations to ensure interventions are sustainable and grounded in community needs.
• South Africa is encouraged to align its future development assistance with continental frameworks, specifically the AU’s Agenda 2063, the Post-conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD), and Security Sector Reform (SSR) frameworks.

APA

Hendricks, C., & Lucey, A. (2013). South Africa and South Sudan: Lessons for post-conflict development and peacebuilding partnerships. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief49.pdf

Chicago

Hendricks, Cheryl, and Amanda Lucey. South Africa and South Sudan: Lessons for post-conflict development and peacebuilding partnerships. Institute for Security Studies, 2013. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief49.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hendricks |first1=Cheryl |last2=Lucey |first2=Amanda |title=South Africa and South Sudan: Lessons for post-conflict development and peacebuilding partnerships |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=December 2013 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief49.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hendricks2013south, author = {Hendricks, Cheryl and Lucey, Amanda}, title = {{South Africa and South Sudan: Lessons for post-conflict development and peacebuilding partnerships}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2013}, month = dec, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief49.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }