South Africa’s Foreign Policy Priorities for the 21st Century: A Closer Look at the Potential for Co-operation in the South Atlantic Zone

The research paper argues that South Africa can bridge the conceptual divide between its 'Latin American' and 'African' foreign policy by treating the South Atlantic Zone as a single entity. It highlights the Zone of Peace and Cooperation of the South Atlantic (ZPCSA) as a framework for security and economic collaboration. Key drivers for this engagement include the 'Operation Phakisa' blue economy initiative, the need to combat piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, and the exploitation of untapped oil and gas reserves. While trade between South Africa and Latin American partners like Brazil and Argentina remains low due to similar commodity exports, the document identifies significant growth potential and the role of South Africa as a strategic gateway between Latin America and Asia.

• South Africa aims to expand its 'blue economy' and ocean economics through 'Operation Phakisa', launched on 15 July 2014. This initiative targets sectors including offshore oil and gas exploration, marine transport, aquaculture, and ocean governance to bolster economic development.
• The South African government projects that utilizing untapped maritime resources could help the country achieve 5% GDP growth by 2019, a significant increase from its lagging growth rate of 1.5%.
• Maritime security in the South Atlantic is driven by the need to combat piracy in the Gulf of Guinea and the protection of natural resources. South Africa has untapped reserves estimated at nine billion barrels of oil and 11 billion barrels of natural gas within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
• The Zone of Peace and Cooperation of the South Atlantic (ZPCSA), established in 1986, provides a framework for 24 countries to cooperate on security and the preservation of a nuclear-weapon-free zone. However, progress has been slow due to a focus on institutional frameworks and limited long-range naval capabilities among African members, except for South Africa.
• Trade between South Africa and the South Atlantic Latin American countries of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay totaled USD 3.34 billion in 2013. This low volume is attributed to the production of similar finished goods and commodities across these nations, which limits cross-Atlantic demand.
• South Africa participates in several joint maritime security exercises to project power and ensure security, including Ibsamar (with India and Brazil) since 2008, and Atlasur (with Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay) since 1993.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2015). South Africa’s Foreign Policy Priorities for the 21st Century: A Closer Look at the Potential for Co-operation in the South Atlantic Zone. https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africas-foreign-policy-priorities-for-the-21st-century-a-closer-look-at-the-potential-for-co-operation-in-the-south-atlantic-zone-2/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. South Africa’s Foreign Policy Priorities for the 21st Century: A Closer Look at the Potential for Co-operation in the South Atlantic Zone. 2015. https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africas-foreign-policy-priorities-for-the-21st-century-a-closer-look-at-the-potential-for-co-operation-in-the-south-atlantic-zone-2/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=South Africa’s Foreign Policy Priorities for the 21st Century: A Closer Look at the Potential for Co-operation in the South Atlantic Zone |date=19 May 2015 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africas-foreign-policy-priorities-for-the-21st-century-a-closer-look-at-the-potential-for-co-operation-in-the-south-atlantic-zone-2/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2015south, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{South Africa’s Foreign Policy Priorities for the 21st Century: A Closer Look at the Potential for Co-operation in the South Atlantic Zone}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2015}, month = may, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africas-foreign-policy-priorities-for-the-21st-century-a-closer-look-at-the-potential-for-co-operation-in-the-south-atlantic-zone-2/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }