South Africa » International Relations

The South Africa's Relations with International Community

South Africa was rapidly reintegrated into the international community after the isolation of the apartheid years. It was readmitted to the Commonwealth in 1994 and hosted the annual Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Durban in November 1999. South Africa was Chair of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) from August 1998 to March 2003. It hosted the inaugural meeting of the African Union (AU) in July 2002 and was the first Chair. It is a key member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

South Africa joined other African and Asian countries in signing the New Africa Asia Strategic Partnership in Jakarta on 24 April 2005. It will host the next Africa Asia Summit in 2009. The Chairmanship of the Group of 77 and China is held by South Africa during 2006. South Africa (along with some other African countries) is a candidate for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. South Africa's position on United Nations Reform is tied to the Common African position – 'The Ezulwini Consensus'.

South Africa's foreign policy is focussed on conflict resolution in Africa, and developing partnerships with other like-minded nations to present the South's case in multinational forum.

Trade and Investment with UK

The UK is South Africa's largest trade and investment partner with over £7 billion in two-way trade in goods and services and £24 billion of UK investment in South Africa (excluding Barclays proposed partial acquisition of ABSA). The strong commercial ties are an important element of the overall bilateral relationship.

The UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) operation is headquartered in Johannesburg, with additional commercial colleagues in Cape Town and Durban. Collectively advice is given to over 500 UK business people, and some 15-20 trade missions and 4-5 exhibition groups a year visit South Africa and are assisted by the UKTI teams.

The teams have an increasing responsibility for helping South African companies that are interested in investing in the UK. There has been strong emphasis in UKTI activities on the opportunities likely to arise from the privatisation programme and the promotion of PPP's (Public Private Partnerships) in South Africa. These include opportunities in the water, airports, ports, healthcare, telecommunications and railway sectors. Other priority sectors include education & training, IT, tourism and the automotive industry.