Address by SAIIA National Chairman Mr Fred T Phaswana

In a 2016 address, SAIIA National Chairman Fred T Phaswana discusses the intersection of South Africa's domestic political and economic crises with global instability. He highlights the erosion of South Africa's international leadership due to internal corruption and poor growth, while contrasting these failures with the success of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REI4P) and global multilateral agreements on climate and development.

• South Africa is facing a period of domestic instability characterized by corruption, 'elite capture of the state', and economic stagnation. The president acknowledged in the February 11 State of the Nation address that the country was unlikely to meet its 5% growth target by 2018, with 2016 growth projected to be under 1%.
• Domestic turmoil and the government's position regarding the International Criminal Court have damaged South Africa's moral authority and leadership role within Africa and globally.
• The Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REI4P) is cited as a successful collaboration between the public and private sectors. Over five years, the program procured over 6,000 MW of renewable energy, attracted more than R168 billion in infrastructure investment, created over 100,000 jobs, and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 4.4 million tonnes.
• Africa faces a challenging 'new normal' driven by violent religious extremism—including groups like Al Shabab, Boko Haram, and Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb—and a bleak global economic outlook caused by the end of the commodity price super-cycle and a slowdown in China.
• The adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals at the UN General Assembly Summit and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change on December 14 are presented as evidence of the potential for multilateral cooperation to address global challenges.

APA

Phaswana, F. T. (2016). Address by SAIIA National Chairman Mr Fred T Phaswana. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/news/2016-address-by-saiia-national-chairman-mr-fred-t-phaswana/

Chicago

Phaswana, Fred T. Address by SAIIA National Chairman Mr Fred T Phaswana. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2016. https://saiia.org.za/news/2016-address-by-saiia-national-chairman-mr-fred-t-phaswana/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Phaswana |first1=Fred T |title=Address by SAIIA National Chairman Mr Fred T Phaswana |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=18 February 2016 |url=https://saiia.org.za/news/2016-address-by-saiia-national-chairman-mr-fred-t-phaswana/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{phaswana2016address, author = {Phaswana, Fred T}, title = {{Address by SAIIA National Chairman Mr Fred T Phaswana}}, publisher = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2016}, month = feb, url = {https://saiia.org.za/news/2016-address-by-saiia-national-chairman-mr-fred-t-phaswana/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }