What South Africa should get out of its engagements in the DRC

The author assesses South Africa's strategic position in the DRC, noting that while South Africa has a significant economic footprint and a constructive security role, it lacks a clear political vision. The paper recommends that South Africa dissuade President Kabila from seeking a third term, support the continued presence of MONUSCO to ensure credible elections, and implement domestic legislation to govern the conduct of its corporations abroad to maintain its credibility as a development actor.

• South Africa has a substantial economic presence in the DRC, with 20% of the DRC's imports originating from South Africa and total investments approaching US$ 1 billion.
• The Grand Inga Treaty, signed in October 2013 and reiterated during the 9th Binational Commission, represents a long-term commitment to infrastructure rehabilitation with an estimated scale of US$ 100 billion.
• South Africa's security contributions via the Intervention Brigade within the UN Stabilisation Force have been constructive, contributing to a situation where 95% of the DRC territory is considered safe.
• The author recommends five specific actions for South Africa: dissuading President Kabila from a third term based on the 2006 constitution, ending ambiguity regarding the necessity of MONUSCO for credible elections, encouraging Kabila's return to SADC summits, enacting domestic legislation to prevent corporate malpractice abroad, and improving diplomatic capabilities including French language proficiency.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2015). What South Africa should get out of its engagements in the DRC. https://saiia.org.za/research/what-south-africa-should-get-out-of-its-engagements-in-the-drc/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. What South Africa should get out of its engagements in the DRC. 2015. https://saiia.org.za/research/what-south-africa-should-get-out-of-its-engagements-in-the-drc/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=What South Africa should get out of its engagements in the DRC |date=27 October 2015 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/what-south-africa-should-get-out-of-its-engagements-in-the-drc/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2015what, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{What South Africa should get out of its engagements in the DRC}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2015}, month = oct, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/what-south-africa-should-get-out-of-its-engagements-in-the-drc/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }