SA-EU Summit 2013: Investment and Jobs in South Africa and SADC

The document examines the SA-EU Strategic Partnership, highlighting the EU's role as South Africa's leading regional trade partner and a major source of foreign direct investment. It contrasts youth unemployment challenges in both the EU and the SADC region, noting South Africa's goal to create 11 million jobs by 2030. The briefing also discusses the impact of migrant labour and remittances from South Africa to other SADC nations, specifically Zimbabwe, and notes a 24% decline in South African FDI from 2011 to 2012.

• The European Union is South Africa's primary regional economic partner, providing three-quarters of the country's foreign direct investment stock. The European Investment Bank has invested over €2 billion as of December 2011, focusing on areas including renewable energy, water, telecommunications, roads, small and medium enterprise development, and municipal infrastructure.
• Both the EU and the SADC region face severe youth unemployment. In the EU, youth unemployment exceeds 26% in many urban areas and reaches 40% in rural regions, prompting an €8bn plan in June 2013 to support regions where youth unemployment is above 25%. In the SADC region, national unemployment rates vary from 17.5% in Botswana to 70% in Zimbabwe, with youth unemployment in South Africa estimated at 60% of the unemployed population, totaling over 7.5 million people.
• South Africa's National Development Plan (NDP) aims to create 11 million jobs by 2030 through increased private and public investment. However, the country has seen a significant drop in foreign direct investment, falling 24% from US$6bn in 2011 to US$4.57bn in 2012.
• Migrant labour from the SADC region is a critical economic factor for South Africa and its neighbors. Approximately 3.3 million economically active migrants live in South Africa, with about half being Zimbabweans. The total remittance market is estimated at R11.2 billion, with R6.7 billion flowing to Zimbabwe, and R7.6 billion moving through informal channels.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2013). SA-EU Summit 2013: Investment and Jobs in South Africa and SADC. https://saiia.org.za/research/sa-eu-summit-2013-investment-and-jobs-in-south-africa-and-sadc/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. SA-EU Summit 2013: Investment and Jobs in South Africa and SADC. 2013. https://saiia.org.za/research/sa-eu-summit-2013-investment-and-jobs-in-south-africa-and-sadc/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=SA-EU Summit 2013: Investment and Jobs in South Africa and SADC |date=17 July 2013 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/sa-eu-summit-2013-investment-and-jobs-in-south-africa-and-sadc/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2013saeu, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{SA-EU Summit 2013: Investment and Jobs in South Africa and SADC}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2013}, month = jul, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/sa-eu-summit-2013-investment-and-jobs-in-south-africa-and-sadc/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }