South Africa, Africa and the BRICS: The Apex of the South

The document examines South Africa's role within the BRICS grouping, highlighting its potential to influence global governance and promote African developmental interests, such as the North-South infrastructure corridor. It notes that while BRICS provides a platform for emerging powers to address issues like climate change and the restructuring of international institutions, internal differences and the challenge of representing the broader African region may constrain its influence. Additionally, the author suggests South Africa can use the forum to attract investment and reduce business barriers, provided it improves its own domestic business environment.

• South Africa can utilize the BRICS forum to influence global governance and the restructuring of international institutions, though the members have diverging interests, such as the fact that Russia and China are already permanent members of the UN Security Council while the other three are aspiring to be.
• Climate change has revitalized the North-South debate, creating tensions between industrializing nations like China and India and Western industrial countries, while Russia remains a political anomaly as it is not defined as a southern country.
• South Africa aims to use BRICS to support African development, specifically the North-South infrastructure corridor championed by President Jacob Zuma in 2010, while guarding against external competition that could harm African interests.
• The BRICS forum offers South Africa a way to attract investment and lower business barriers in other member markets, although the country must also reduce the domestic cost of doing business to remain competitive.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2011). South Africa, Africa and the BRICS: The Apex of the South. https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africa-africa-and-the-brics-the-apex-of-the-south/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. South Africa, Africa and the BRICS: The Apex of the South. 2011. https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africa-africa-and-the-brics-the-apex-of-the-south/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=South Africa, Africa and the BRICS: The Apex of the South |date=13 April 2011 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africa-africa-and-the-brics-the-apex-of-the-south/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2011south, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{South Africa, Africa and the BRICS: The Apex of the South}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2011}, month = apr, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africa-africa-and-the-brics-the-apex-of-the-south/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }