SOUTH AFRICA’S STATE-BUILDING ROLE IN THE DRC: KICKING THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD

The document argues that while South Africa has been instrumental in the DRC's peace processes and initial state-building, its current approach is failing to ensure long-term institutional stability. The author contends that South Africa's 'quiet diplomacy' and reluctance to demand adherence to democratic values and the rule of law have allowed the DRC's political transition to stall, specifically regarding the postponement of presidential elections.

• South Africa has played a critical role in the DRC's peace and stability since the 1990s, facilitating the Sun City Agreement (April 2002) and the Pretoria Accord (July 2002), which led to a transitional government and the first democratic elections since 1960 in 2006.
• South Africa's contributions to the DRC have been extensive and multi-faceted, including financial and technical electoral support, revenue collection reforms, training for the foreign service, and military stabilization via the SADC Intervention Brigade in the eastern DRC.
• The author argues that South Africa's state-building model is limited because it excels at bringing warring parties to negotiations but fails to promote essential long-term values such as the rule of law, human rights, and inclusive political processes.
• The postponement of the DRC presidential elections to December 2018, caused by the electoral commission receiving only approximately 15% of its budget, is cited as evidence of the failure of the current state-building model and a threat to the constitutional framework.
• South Africa's use of 'quiet diplomacy' regarding the harassment of opposition leaders and the machinations of President Joseph Kabila to extend his tenure is described as unhelpful for the DRC's immediate stability and long-term institution building.
• The document concludes that South Africa's 'formalistic, hegemonic and anti-colonialist' approach to state-building tends to delay necessary hard choices and that South Africa should instead engage more directly with the opposition and civil society to protect the political process.

APA

Hengari, T. (2016). SOUTH AFRICA’S STATE-BUILDING ROLE IN THE DRC: KICKING THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Policy-Insights-39.pdf

Chicago

Hengari, Tjiurimo. SOUTH AFRICA’S STATE-BUILDING ROLE IN THE DRC: KICKING THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2016. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Policy-Insights-39.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hengari |first1=Tjiurimo |title=SOUTH AFRICA’S STATE-BUILDING ROLE IN THE DRC: KICKING THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=December 2016 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Policy-Insights-39.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hengari2016south, author = {Hengari, Tjiurimo}, title = {{SOUTH AFRICA’S STATE-BUILDING ROLE IN THE DRC: KICKING THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2016}, month = dec, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Policy-Insights-39.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }