Life beyond BRICS? South Africa’s future foreign policy interests

The report analyzes the shift in South African foreign policy from Thabo Mbeki's multilateralism and 'African Renaissance' to Jacob Zuma's focus on the BRICS grouping and bilateral relations. It argues that while BRICS membership was a pragmatic move, the Zuma era was marked by a decline in moral authority, domestic instability, and a disconnect between 'high politics' (pro-China/Russia) and 'low politics' (trade dominance of the EU and US). The author recommends that future leadership prioritize regional integration in Africa, develop regional value chains, and restore a commitment to a rules-based international system to drive domestic economic growth.

• Under President Thabo Mbeki, South Africa pursued an 'African Renaissance' and active multilateralism, acting as an intermediary between developed and developing nations and championing the transition from the OAU to the African Union (AU).
• The Jacob Zuma administration shifted focus toward the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China), which is described as the most significant foreign policy achievement of his tenure, though it came at the expense of efforts to reform global power relations.
• There is a stark contradiction between South Africa's 'high politics' (ideological alignment with China and Russia) and its 'low politics' (economic dependence on the West), with the EU remaining a dominant trading partner.
• South Africa's international standing in Africa has been severely damaged by repeated incidents of xenophobic violence and a perceived lack of leadership and coherence.
• South Africa has provided significant development aid and peacekeeping contributions to the region, notably contributing over $1 billion in official development assistance-like activities to the DRC between 2001 and 2015.
• Trade with China has contributed to the de-industrialization of South Africa and the loss of thousands of manufacturing jobs, leading to current efforts to leverage Chinese capital for local beneficiation.
• Africa is the only region where South Africa consistently maintains a trade surplus, primarily through the export of value-added manufactured products.
• The report forecasts that South Africa's relative economic contribution to the BRICS grouping will decline from 3% in 2010 to 1% by 2050, while India's share of BRICS GDP is expected to grow significantly.
• Future foreign policy should prioritize the development of regional value chains and integration within Africa to facilitate domestic economic growth and job creation.

APA

Cilliers, J. (2017). Life beyond BRICS? South Africa’s future foreign policy interests. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/sar9.pdf

Chicago

Cilliers, Jakkie. Life beyond BRICS? South Africa’s future foreign policy interests. Institute for Security Studies, 2017. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/sar9.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cilliers |first1=Jakkie |title=Life beyond BRICS? South Africa’s future foreign policy interests |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=June 2017 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/sar9.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cilliers2017life, author = {Cilliers, Jakkie}, title = {{Life beyond BRICS? South Africa’s future foreign policy interests}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2017}, month = jun, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/sar9.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }