South Africa in the World 2019

The Institute for Global Dialogue (IGD) in partnership with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung South Africa hosted a roundtable titled: ‘South Africa in the World 2019’ to commemorate its 25th year anniversary on the 25th of November 2019, in Pretoria were former President Thabo Mbeki delivered a keynote address. Former President reflected on how and why IGD was formed and on the work of institute over the past 25 years. He also talked about the role of South Africa's policy positions on peace and security on the continent and globally.

President Ramaphosa’s election as President in South Africa’s sixth democratic elections, held in May 2019, cemented the trend to pursue economic diplomacy as a South African foreign policy strategy. The country still faces a number of significant internal pressures; from leadership challenges in the African National Congress, a general economic slump, tensions surrounding the land debates and legacies of structural inequality, and these all have immediate bearings on South Africa’s ability to cooperate with Africa and beyond. These dynamics have been made more difficult because of the recent spate of attacks on foreign nationals from the African continent, making South Africa’s forthcoming AU Chairship even more important and at the same time more challenging. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Morocco, Sudan, the Horn of Africa, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) present interesting agenda items for South Africa while its second year as a non-permanent member on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and its ascendancy to the African Union (AU) chair in 2020 provide various opportunities and challenges. How will South Africa’s Africa agenda interlock with other commitments to South-South and trilateral cooperation, the G20 and BRICS? In addition, global trends of increased populist discourse, re-brokering of power relations, navigating protectionism and tepid global economic growth, the unprecedented developments in the fourth industrial revolution and growing concern for environmental sustainability must continue to be factored into the country’s strategic calculations. This signature IGD dialogue takes stock of 2019 and asks where to for South Africa?

Click here to view former President Thabo Mbeki's address.