South Africa in Africa: An Assessment

This briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs assesses South Africa's foreign policy, economic relations, and security role within Africa since 1994. It highlights the transition from the 'principled' approach of the Mandela era to the 'pragmatic' African Renaissance agenda under Thabo Mbeki, while noting the tensions between South Africa's regional economic dominance and its desire to avoid being perceived as a 'big brother'.

• South Africa's foreign policy evolved from a 'principled' approach under Nelson Mandela, which focused on human rights and avoided strong stances to prevent being seen as a 'bully', to a 'pragmatic' agenda under Thabo Mbeki. Mbeki's presidency emphasized the 'African Renaissance', the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad), and a focus on conflict resolution, peacekeeping, and governance.
• South Africa possesses a dominant economy relative to its neighbors, with a GDP of $239 billion, which is 40 times larger than the average sub-Saharan economy. It accounts for 25% of Africa's total GDP and one-third of the sub-Saharan African economy, including two-thirds of the GDP of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
• Trade between South Africa and the rest of the continent grew by approximately 659% between 1994 and 2006. Exports increased from R8.6 billion ($1.3 billion) in 1994 to R53.4 billion ($7.6 billion) in 2006, while imports rose from R2.3 billion ($0.4 billion) to R29.4 billion ($4.2 billion).
• South African corporate investment in Africa is concentrated in a few key countries and sectors. Mozambique receives the highest share of investment at 34%, followed by Nigeria (14%), Namibia (8%), and the DRC (8%). The primary sectors for investment are telecommunications (24%), mining (19%), and electricity (18%).
• South Africa's approach to conflict resolution is based on preventive diplomacy, peace-building, and peace-making. It has led significant efforts in Burundi, the DRC, Côte d’Ivoire, and Sudan (Darfur), and has deployed personnel to missions including AMIS, MONUC, and UNMEE.
• South Africa acts as a global representative for Africa through memberships in the G20 Finance, the G8's Outreach 5 (G5), and the UN Security Council, where it voices the interests of the Africa group and the G77.
• There is a tension between South Africa's role as an economic magnet for migrants and the internal social reality of xenophobia. Remittances sent from South Africa to other regional countries increased from less than $2 billion in 1990 to $8 billion in 2005.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2008). South Africa in Africa: An Assessment. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/safp_fpm_20080401.pdf

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. South Africa in Africa: An Assessment. 2008. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/safp_fpm_20080401.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=South Africa in Africa: An Assessment |date=March 2008 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/safp_fpm_20080401.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2008south, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{South Africa in Africa: An Assessment}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2008}, month = mar, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/safp_fpm_20080401.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }