South Africa’s Diplomacy 20 Years On: Implementing the African Agenda around Core Values, Principles and Issues

The document evaluates South Africa's reintegration into global affairs and its role as a leader for the African agenda. While acknowledging South Africa's success in joining platforms like the G-20 and BRICS and its significant economic investments in Africa, the author identifies a 'twin deficit': a lack of consistency between diplomatic actions and constitutional values (democracy and human rights), and a 'lone-wolf' approach that alienates regional partners. The brief recommends that Pretoria move away from a pragmatic 'do no harm' approach toward issue-based partnerships and institutional reforms within the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (DIRCO) to regain credibility as a trusted interlocutor in African conflicts.

• South Africa has successfully reintegrated into the international community and assumed leadership roles in the UN, African Union (AU), and G-20, using these platforms to promote African interests.
• There is a growing inconsistency between South Africa's domestic rhetoric on human rights and democracy and its actual diplomatic conduct, including an 'obstructionist' voting record in the Human Rights Council regarding fundamental freedoms.
• South Africa's credibility as a conflict negotiator in Africa has declined, partly due to an 'excessively solo ideological position' regarding the 2010 elections in Côte d’Ivoire.
• South Africa is a dominant economic force in Africa, with investments increasing from $500 million in 2002 to $2.9 billion in 2013, and receiving 16.4% of the continent's total foreign direct investment for new projects according to a 2013/2014 report.
• The author criticizes South Africa's 'Hippocratic oath' or 'do no harm' approach to diplomacy, which prioritizes pragmatic, firefighting solutions over the moral and normative values of the country's foreign policy.
• To improve its continental leadership, the document recommends institutional changes within DIRCO, including upgrading the SADC Chief Directorate to Deputy Director General level and appointing a minister of African affairs.

APA

Hengari, T. (2014). South Africa’s Diplomacy 20 Years On: Implementing the African Agenda around Core Values, Principles and Issues. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Policy-Briefing-107.pdf

Chicago

Hengari, Tjurimo. South Africa’s Diplomacy 20 Years On: Implementing the African Agenda around Core Values, Principles and Issues. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2014. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Policy-Briefing-107.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hengari |first1=Tjurimo |title=South Africa’s Diplomacy 20 Years On: Implementing the African Agenda around Core Values, Principles and Issues |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=October 2014 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Policy-Briefing-107.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hengari2014south, author = {Hengari, Tjurimo}, title = {{South Africa’s Diplomacy 20 Years On: Implementing the African Agenda around Core Values, Principles and Issues}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2014}, month = oct, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Policy-Briefing-107.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }