SOUTH AFRICA
GEOGRAPHY
South Africa occupies the most southern tip of Africa with its long coastline stretching more than 3 000 km from the desert border with Namibia on the Atlantic coast southwards around the tip of Africa and then north to the border of subtropical Mozambique on the Indian Ocean. The country has more than 290 conservation parks. It is home to almost 300 mammal species, about 860 bird species and 8 000 plant species. The annual sardine run is the biggest migration on the planet. South Africa is divided into eight biomes: Grassland, Savanna, Succulent Karoo, Nama Karoo Forest, Fynbos, Desert, Thicket. The country is considered to be the cradle of humankind and boasts 40% of all hominid finds on Earth.
The land
Stretching latitudinally from 22°S to 35°S and longitudinally from 17°E to 33°E, South Africa’s surface area covers 1 219 602 km2. Physical features range from bushveld, grasslands, forests, deserts and majestic mountain peaks, to wide unspoilt beaches and coastal wetlands. The country shares common boundaries with Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland, while the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho is landlocked by South African territory in the south-east.
The Prince Edward and Marion islands, annexed by South Africa in 1947, lie some 1 920 km south-east of Cape Town.
Oceans and rivers
The warm Mozambique-Agulhas Current skirts the east and south coasts as far as Cape Agulhas, while the cold Benguela Current flows northwards along the west coast as far as southern Angola. The contrast in temperature between these two currents partly accounts for significant differences in climate and vegetation, as well as differences in marine life.Saldanha Bay on the west coast is the only ideal natural harbour. None of the country’s rivers are commercially navigable and most river mouths are unsuitable as harbours because large sandbanks block entry for most of the year. South Africa has no significant natural lakes. Artificial lakes are used mostly for crop irrigation.
Climate
A subtropical location, moderated by ocean on three sides of the country and the altitude of the interior plateau, account for the warm temperate conditions. South Africa is a relatively dry country, with an average annual rainfall of about 464 mm. While the Western Cape gets most of its rainfall in winter, the rest of the country is generally a summer-rainfall region. Temperatures in South Africa tend to be lower than in other countries at similar latitudes owing mainly to greater elevation above sea level.
HISTORY
South Africa’s history begun with the development of the first organization of homo sapience, that used to associate themselves in tribes.
The earliest civil formation was the Settlements of Bantu-speaking peoples, who were iron-using agriculturists and herdsmen, were already present south of the Limpopo River (now the northern border with Botswana and Zimbabwe) by the 4th or 5th century CE. Bantu is a term already existent to refers to black people that lives in South Africa. After that there was the first contact with the occidental world, when in the 1487, the Portuguese explorer Bartolomeo Dias led the firs European voyage to the lend in the southern Africa.Dutch interest was aroused after 1647, when two employees of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) were shipwrecked there for several months. The sailors were able to survive by obtaining fresh water and meat from the natives. They also sowed vegetables in the fertile soil. Great Britain occupied Cape Town between 1795 and 1803 to prevent it from falling under the control of the French First Republic, which had invaded the Low Countries and in 1806 they definitively conquered Cape Town. During the following period new colonists were induced to settle for a variety of reasons, namely to increase the size of the European workforce and to bolster frontier regions against Xhosa incursions. At the same time Britain abolished the slavery, to create a new moral idealism and to spread their civilizing mission new proletariat they want to be appreciated by natives. That was the beginning of a series of events that lead to the unification of the Republic of South Africa and Free State of Orange, dominated by Boer Republic of South Africa dominated by Britain, after the Anglo-Boer war. The result was the creation of the South Africa union, ruled by Britain, which continued to use racial feudalism and capitalism in their political asset. The main idea was to use local (black) people as a workforce (weakened by Grand Trek), and in this way they could have focused on the government and the upper classes, made by white people.
APARTHEID:
- With the rapid growth and industrialisation of the British Cape Colony in the nineteenth century, racial policies and laws became increasingly rigid. Cape legislation that discriminated specifically against black Africans began appearing shortly before 1900.
- The first apartheid law was the Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act, 1949, followed closely by the Immorality Amendment Act of 1950, which made it illegal for most South African citizens to marry or pursue sexual relationships across racial lines
- 1987–1993, bilateral negotiations -> National Party with the African National Congress (ANC), the leading anti-apartheid political movement, for ending segregation and introducing majority rule. In 1990, prominent ANC figures such as Nelson Mandela were released from prison.
- Apartheid legislation was repealed on 17 June 1991 pending multiracial elections held under a universal suffrage set for April 1994.
South Africa held its first multi-racial elections in 1994, leaving the newly elected African National Congress (ANC) government the daunting task of trying to restore order to an economy wracked by long years of internal conflict and external sanctions.
SOCIAL CULTURE AND RELIGION
The Rainbow Nation
South Africa is one of the most multicultural countries in the world. In urban areas many different ethnic groups will make up the population. In addition to the indigenous black peoples of South Africa colonialism and immigration have brought in white Europeans, Indians, Indo-Malays, Chinese and many more.
As such it is difficult to generalise at all on South African etiquettes and culture due to the diversity.
The Family in South Africa
- The basic unit of South African society is the family, which includes the nuclear family and the extended family or tribe.
- In traditional African society, the tribe is the most important community as it is the equivalent of a nation. The tribe provides both emotional and financial security in much the same way the nuclear family does to white or coloured South Africans.
- The coloured and more traditional Afrikaans cultures consider their extended family to be almost as important as their nuclear family, while the English-speaking white community places more emphasis on the nuclear family.
- The nuclear family is the ultimate basis of the tribe. The tribal and family units are being disrupted by changes in the economic reorganization of the country
- As more people move into the urban areas, they attempt to maintain familial ties, including providing financial support to family members who have remained in the village.
The Rural/Urban Dichotomy
- There are vast differences between the values of the rural and urban dwellers.
- The majority of the whites living in rural areas are Afrikaner farmers who are descended from the Calvinists. Their views on the world are sometimes narrow. At the same time they value human decency over materialism.
- City dwellers live life in the fast lane, which affects their outlook.
- People from Johannesburg can quite often be regarded as having materialistic values, and being more interested in what you own rather than who you are. They prefer to see themselves as urbane and their country cousins as less sophisticated.
- People from Cape Town are very proud of their city, and often appear to have a superior attitude about their city versus the rest of the country. Family ties, long-term friendships and social standing are all important to Capetonians.
- The many rural black communities are still rooted in the traditions of their heritage, whereas the increasingly urban black community combines their roots with the urban environment and international influences that surround them.
Etiquette & Customs in South Africa
Meeting Etiquette
- There are several greeting styles in South Africa depending upon the ethnic heritage of the person you are meeting.
- When dealing with foreigners, most South Africans shake hands while maintaining eye contact and smiling.
- Some women do not shake hands and merely nod their head, so it is best to wait for a woman to extend her hand.
- Men may kiss a woman they know well on the cheek in place of a handshake.Greetings are leisurely and include time for social discussion and exchanging pleasantries.
Gift Giving Etiquette
- In general, South Africans give gifts for birthdays and Christmas.
- Two birthdays – 21 and 40 – are often celebrated with a large party in which a lavish gift is given. It is common for several friends to contribute to this gift to help defray the cost.
- If you are invited to a South African’s home, bring flowers, good quality chocolates, or a bottle of good South African wine to the hostess.
- Wrapping a gift nicely shows extra effort.
- Gifts are opened when received.
Dining Etiquette
If you are invited to a South African’s house:
- Arrive on time if invited to dinner.
- Contact the hostess ahead of time to see if she would like you to bring a dish.
- Wear casual clothes. This may include jeans or pressed shorts. It is a good idea to check with the hosts in advance.
- In Johannesburg, casual is dressier than in other parts of the country. Do not wear jeans or shorts unless you have spoken to the hosts.
- Offer to help the hostess with the preparation or clearing up after a meal is served.
Business Etiquette and Protocol
Relationships & Communication
- South Africans are transactional and do not need to establish long-standing personal relationships before conducting business.
- If your company is not known in South Africa, a more formal introduction may help you gain access to decision-makers and not be shunted off to gatekeepers.
- Networking and relationship building are crucial for long-term business success.
- Relationships are built in the office.
- Most businessmen are looking for long-term business relationships.
- Although the country leans towards egalitarianism, businesspeople respect senior executives and those who have attained their position through hard work and perseverance.
- There are major differences in communication styles depending upon the individual’s cultural heritage.
- For the most part, South Africans want to maintain harmonious working relationships, so they avoid confrontations.
- They often use metaphors and sports analogies to demonstrate a point.
- Most South Africans, regardless of ethnicity, prefer face-to-face meetings to more impersonal communication mediums such as email, letter, or telephone.
Business Meeting Etiquette
- Appointments are necessary and should be made as far in advance as possible.
- It may be difficult to arrange meetings with senior level managers on short notice, although you may be able to do so with lower-level managers.
- It is often difficult to schedule meetings from mid December to mid January or the two weeks surrounding Easter, as these are prime vacation times.
- Personal relationships are important. The initial meeting is often used to establish a personal rapport and to determine if you are trustworthy.
- After a meeting, send a letter summarizing what was decided and the next steps.
Business Negotiations
- It is imperative to develop mutual trust before negotiating.
- Women have yet to attain senior level positions. If you send a woman, she must expect to encounter some condescending behaviour and to be tested in ways that a male colleague would not.
- Do not interrupt a South African while they are speaking.
- South Africans strive for consensus and win-win situations.
- Include delivery dates in contracts. Deadlines are often viewed as fluid rather than firm commitments.
- Start negotiating with a realistic figure. South Africans do not like haggling over price.
- Decision-making may be concentrated at the top of the company and decisions are often made after consultation with subordinates, so the process can be slow and protracted.
Dress Etiquette
- Business attire is becoming more informal in many companies. However, for the first meeting, it is best to dress more conservatively.
- Men should wear dark coloured conservative business suits.
- Women should wear elegant business suits or dress
South Africa has never had an official state religion. The country’s constitution explicitly states everyone’s right to freedom of conscience, religion, thought, belief and opinion. However, the government actively promoted Christianity throughout much of the 20th century and it remains the most widely followed faith today. While the 2011 South African census did not include a question of religious affiliation, the majority of South Africans (84.2%) identified as Christian in a 2013 General Household Survey. This represented an increased from 79.8% reported in the 2001 census. Of the remaining population, 5% identified with ancestral or traditional African religions, 2% identified as Muslim, 1% identified as Hindu, and 0.2% identified as Jewish. Atheism and agnosticism were identified by 0.2% of the population, while 5.5% identified with ‘nothing in particular’, and 1.6% did not specify. |
POLITICS
The Republic of South Africa is a parliamentary representative democratic republic. The President of South Africa serves both as head of state and as head of government. The President is elected by the National Assembly (the lower house of the South African Parliament) and must retain the confidence of the Assembly in order to remain in office. South Africans also elect provincial legislatures which govern each of the country’s nine provinces. Since the end of apartheid in 1994 the African National Congress (ANC) has dominated South Africa’s politics. The ANC is the ruling party in the national legislature, as well as in eight of the nine provinces (Western Cape is governed by the Democratic Alliance). The ANC received 57.50% of the vote during the 2019 general election. It had received 62.9%[1] of the popular vote in the 2011 municipal election. The main challenger to the ANC’s rule is the Democratic Alliance, led by John Steenhuisen (previously by Mmusi Maimane), which received 20.77% of the vote in the 2019 election. Other major political parties represented in Parliament include the Economic Freedom Fighters and the Inkatha Freedom Party, which mainly represents Zulu voters. The formerly dominant New National Party, which both introduced and ended apartheid through its predecessor the National Party, disbanded in 2005 to merge with the ANC. Jacob Zuma served as President of South Africa since 9 May 2009 until his resignation in February 2018. Zuma was replaced by Cyril Ramaphosa. The country’s 2019 general election was held on 8 May.
ECONOMY
General aspects:
Apartheid’s effects still alive
- South Africa has an extreme and persistent high unemployment rate of over 25%
- inadequate education
- poor health and high levels of crime.
- The poorest have limited access to economic opportunities and basic services
- A quarter of South Africans live on less than US$1.25 a day.
- South Africa’s mass unemployment dates back to the 1970s, and continued to rise since the 1970s, increasing from 15.6% in 1995 to 30.3% in 2001.
In the third quarter of 2010, 29.80% of Blacks were recorded as unemployed, compared with 22.30% of Coloureds, 8.60 of Asians and 5.10% of Whites. Those who have given up looking for employment.[91] Only 41% of the population of working age have any kind of job (formal or informal). This rate is 30% points lower than that of China, and about 25% lower than that of Brazil or Indonesia. The unemployment rate has fuelled crime, inequality and social unrest. The global economic downturn made the problem worse, wiping out more than one million jobs.
Furthermore, there has been a large degree of human capital flight from South Africa in recent years. South Africa’s Bureau of Statistics estimates that between 1 million and 1.6 million people in skilled, professional, and managerial occupations have emigrated overseas since 1994 and that, for every emigrant, 10 unskilled people lose their jobs. Wishing to leave the country was the declining quality of life and high levels of crime. Furthermore, the government’s affirmative action policy was identified as another factor influencing the emigration of skilled White South Africans. The results of the survey indicate that skilled Whites are strongly opposed to this policy and the arguments advanced in support of it.
However, flight of human capital in South Africa should not be attributed solely to regional factors. For example, the demand for skilled labourers in the UK, US, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia has led to active recruitment programs by those countries in South Africa. These countries accounted for 75%. A widespread skills drain in South Africa and in the developing world in general is generally considered to be a cause for concern.Between 2008 and 2013 there was a reverse brain drain process in which several qualified South Africans have returned to them homeland from foreign work assignments. This was catalysed by the global financial crisis that caused the perceptions of higher quality of life in South Africa relative to the countries from which they first emigrated to.
Taxation: The top rate of personal income tax rate in South Africa is 45%; the corporate tax rate is 28%. Other taxes include a value-added tax and a capital gains tax, with the overall tax burden amounting to 23.4% of total domestic income.
ECONOMY STRUCTURE
The economy of South Africa is the second largest in Africa, after Nigeria.
As a regional manufacturing hub, it is the most industrialized and diversified economy on the continent. South Africa is an upper-middle-income economy by the World Bank – one of only four such countries in Africa (alongside Botswana, Gabon and Mauritius). South Africa has a comparative advantage in the production of agriculture, mining and manufacturing products relating to these sectors. South Africa has shifted from a primary and secondary economy in the mid-twentieth century to an economy driven primarily by the tertiary sector in the present day which accounts for an estimated 65% of GDP or $230 billion in nominal GDP terms. The country’s economy is reasonably diversified with key economic sectors including mining, agriculture and fisheries, vehicle manufacturing and assembly, food processing, clothing and textiles, telecommunication, energy, financial and business services, real estate, tourism, transportation, and wholesale and retail trade.
COMPARISON WITH OTHER MARKET
South Africa was said to compare well to other emerging markets on affordability and availability of capital, financial market sophistication, business tax rates and infrastructure, but to fare poorly on the cost and availability of labour, education, and the use of technology and innovation.have the second most sophisticated financial market and the second-lowest effective business tax rate
Nevertheless, South Africa is falling behind other emerging markets, such as India and China, owing to several factors: the country is relatively small, without the advantage of a huge domestic customer base; it has had for decades an unusually low rate of saving and investment, partly because of low disposable income; an inadequate education system results in an acute shortage of skilled manpower; a strong and volatile currency deters investors and makes its exports less competitive; the infrastructure, though far better than in the rest of Africa, suffers from severe bottlenecks, including scheduled power shortages, and urgently needs upgrading.
NATURAL RESOURCES:
Mining has been the main driving force behind the history and development of Africa’s most advanced economy. Large-scale and profitable mining started with the discovery of a diamond on the banks of the Orange River in 1867 by Erasmus Jacobs and the subsequent discovery and exploitation of the Kimberley pipes a few years later. Gold rushes to Pilgrim’s Rest and Barberton were precursors to the biggest discovery of all, the Main Reef/Main Reef Leader on Gerhardus Oosthuizen’s farm Langlaagte, Portion C, in 1886, the Witwatersrand Gold Rush and the subsequent rapid development of the gold field there, the biggest of them all.
South Africa is one of the world’s leading mining and mineral-processing countries. Though mining’s contribution to the national GDP has fallen from 21% in 1970 to 6% in 2011, it still represents almost 60% of exports. The mining sector accounts for up to 9% of value added.
The mining sector has a mix of privately owned and state-controlled mines, the latter including African Exploration Mining and Finance Corporation.
The agricultural industry contributes around 5% of formal employment, relatively low compared to other parts of Africa, as well as providing work for casual labourers and contributing around 2.8% of GDP for the nation. However, due to the aridity of the land, only 13.5% can be used for crop production, and only 3% is considered high potential land. The sector continues to face problems, with increased foreign competition and crime being two of the major challenges for the industry. The government has been accused of either putting in too much effort, or not enough effort, to tackle the problem of farm attacks as opposed to other forms of violent crime.
The most important agricultural exports of South Africa include: edible fruit and nuts, beverages, preserved food, tobacco, cereals, wool not carded or combed, miscellaneous food, sugar, meat, milling products, malt and starch, meat, soya-bean oil cake, soya-bean oil and its fractions, palm oil and its fractions, spices, coffee, tea.
The food sub-sector is the largest employer within the agro-processing sector – contributing 1.4% to total employment, and 11.5% within the manufacturing sector.
MANUFACTURING
The manufacturing industry’s contribution to the economy is relatively small, providing just 13.3% of jobs and 15% of GDP. Labour costs are low, but not nearly as low as in most other emerging markets, and the cost of the transport, communications and general living is much higher.
After a steep decline of 10.4% in 2009, the manufacturing sector performed well in 2010, growing by 5%, though this rebound was limited to the automotive, basic chemicals, iron and steel and food and beverages industries. The performance of this sector remains curtailed by the low demand in South Africa’s main export markets in the developed world. The South African automotive industry accounts for about 10% of South Africa’s manufacturing exports, contributes 7.5% to the country’s GDP and employs around 36,000 people.
BMW, Ford, Volkswagen, Daimler-Chrysler, General Motors, Nissan and Toyota all have production plants in South Africa.
The industry is concentrated in two provinces, the Eastern Cape and Gauteng. Companies producing in South Africa can take advantage of the low production costs and the access to new markets as a result of trade agreements with the European Union and the Southern African Development Community.
Service industry
The domestic telecommunications infrastructure provides modern and efficient service to urban areas, including cellular and internet services.The five major cellular providers are Vodacom, MTN, Cell C, 8ta (owned by the parastatal, Telkom) and Virgin Mobile.
Business process outsourcing -> to contract a specific task or a service to an external society ->large overseas firms such as Lufthansa, Amazon.com, ASDA, The Carphone Warehouse, Delta Airlines and many more have established inbound call centres within Cape Town as a means of utilising Cape Town’s low labour costs and talented labour force.
Tourism. South Africa is a popular tourist destination. Among the main attractions are the diverse and picturesque landscape, the game reserves and the highly regarded local wines.
Financial services. South Africa has a sophisticated financial structure with the JSE Securities Exchange, a large and active stock exchange that ranks 18th in the world in terms of total market capitalisation of $1.2 Trillion as of March 2018.
The banking industry, overseen by the South African Reserve Bank, is dominated by four local players: Nedbank, ABSA, Standard Bank and First Rand. These banks provide both retail and investment banking services as the sector has become highly competitive with the re-entry of many experienced foreign banks, which returned to the market in the mid-1990s, having left in the late 1980s. Banks operating in South Africa, when left short of liquidity, need to borrow from the SARB at a fluctuating repo rate, which in turn allows the central bank to monitor liquidity positions.
Informal sector: South Africa’s informal sector contributes 8% of the country’s GDP and supports 27% of all working people. The South African Local Economic Development Network values the informal economy at 28% of SA’s GDP. Given the relevance of this input, there is a constant interest in developing actions on an inclusive urban planning for the working poor.
Trade unions: Since 2007 the South African unions representing public sector workers recurrently went on strike, demanding pay rises significantly above inflation. These practice for some experts is suppressing job growth, harming millions of South Africans who are out of a job, in fact it has increased the state spending by about 1%.
There is a persistent wage differential between unionised and non-unionised workers in South Africa, suggesting that unions are keeping wages higher for their members, thereby posing additional challenges to the unemployment problem.
INFRASTRUCTURE: The massive urban migration has placed further strain on the country’s ageing infrastructure and created a large backlog
ENERGY: South Africa actually has still a deficiency in the capacity in the electrical generating and reticulation infrastructure. The state/owner power supplier is Eskom
South Africa also has a nuclear power station named Koeberg . It is currently the only one on the entire African continent. It is located 30 km north of Cape Town, near Melkbosstrand on the west coast of South Africa
WATER: Some predictions show surface water supply could decrease by 60% by the year 2070 in parts of the Western Cape. The South African government planned to spend R69 billion on water infrastructure between 2008 and 2015 and they will need to reach 65 billion by 2025, that-s twice the actual water supply.
IMPORT/EXPORT
- Currently the value of Imports and Exports per quarter equates to roughly 60% of South Africa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Given that South Africa operates on an open economy, trade is an essential stimulus and drives job creation. One of the biggest challenges however for the industry is economic volatility. As markets become more connected, various challenges, in countries across the world, can have an impact on domestic markets; just look at the Rand for example. As the dollar strengthens and the Rand weakens, the implications are wide-spread. While the weak Rand has some benefits for many exporters, it can still skew volume figures; it impacts negatively on importers and exporters who have a large imported component in their products. Importers are also rarely able to pass on price increases directly to consumers. With high operational costs including electricity, uncertainty around power and more recently water supply, margins are being affected. This becomes inflationary for South Africa as a whole, all of which has a negative impact on the country’s ability to drive industrial growth. Having said that however, the South African market is ripe with opportunity, investment and innovation for the import sector. For those looking at importing however, it is critical that you look at products that are in demand and you have the right lines of credit or sufficient capital to fund your working capital requirements
What opportunities exist for South African entrepreneurs who want to go into the importing business?
The South African and African market is ripe with opportunity, investment and innovation. What’s more, there has been a revitalisation of trade which brings about new opportunities and South African entrepreneurs are taking advantage of these. For those looking at importing however, it is critical that you look at products that are in demand and you have the right lines of credit or sufficient capital to fund your working capital requirements. From there it becomes about finding the right supplier, understanding the logistics and legislation and of course, building from there.
This is where finding the right partner becomes a critical step. The import process is not an easy one to undertake. From not having sight of products throughout the supply chain to being concerned about landed costs, import tariffs, and the impact it all can have on cash flow, businesses often feel intimidated. Yet, this does not have to be the case. Importing goods often requires upfront deposits and balance payments to suppliers weeks before these goods are converted into cash.
New technologies are being applied to the supply chain to better understand cost inputs and timing of payments, with the objective of reducing working capital needs. Further to managing the financial aspects of the supply chain, companies should be leveraging technology to not only physically track order placement, production times and sailings to understand when goods are going to arrive, but importers should have an app on their phones that notifies them of unexpected delays such as custom stops.
Businesses also need to be cognisant of the fact that logistics do not exist in isolation of funding. As such, it is probable that import businesses will partner with companies that understand the commerciality of their business and the technicalities of the inbound supply chain, and that leverage technology and innovation to maximise time and cost savings to effectively increase profitability. The African continent’s southernmost country, the Republic of South Africa shipped US$90.2 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2019. That dollar amount reflects a 12.4% gain since 2015 but a -4.4% decline from 2018 to 2019. South Africa’s exported goods totaled $77.7 billion during the first 11 months of 2020. Assuming an annualized $84.7 billion in exports for all 2020. Compared to an adjusted $90.4 billion for all 2020, South Africa is on track for an estimated -6.3% drop in value for its shipments from 2019 to 2020.
Based on the average exchange rate for 2019, the South African rand depreciated by -13.2% against the US dollar since 2015 and declined by -9.2% from 2018 to 2019. South Africa’s weaker local currency makes its exports paid for in stronger US dollars relatively less expensive for international buyers. The latest available country-specific data shows that 61.7% of products exported from South Africa were bought by importers in: China (10.7% of the global total), Germany (8.3%), United States (7%), United Kingdom (5.2%), Japan (4.8%), India (4.6%), Botswana (4.5%), Mozambique (4.1%), Namibia (4%), Netherlands (3.2%), Belgium (3%) and Zambia (2.3%).
The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in South African global shipments during 2019. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from South Africa.
Gems, precious metals: US$15.3 billion (17% of total exports)
Ores, slag, ash: $13.1 billion (14.5%)
Vehicles: $11.4 billion (12.7%)
Mineral fuels including oil: $9.1 billion (10.1%)
Machinery including computers: $5.5 billion (6.1%)
Iron, steel: $5.4 billion (6%)
Fruits, nuts: $3.4 billion (3.8%)
Aluminum: $1.8 billion (2%)
Electrical machinery, equipment: $1.7 billion (1.9%)
Plastics, plastic articles: $1.4 billion (1.6%)
South Africa’s top 10 exports accounted for about three-quarters (75.6%) of the overall value of its global shipments.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
South Africa’s foreign policy outlook is based on its commitment to the values and ideals of Pan-Africanism, solidarity with people of the South and the need to cooperate with all peace-loving people across the globe in pursuit of shared prosperity and a just, equitable and rules-based international order.
Relations with African countries
The department of International Relations and Cooperation plays an active role in the structures and processes of the African Union (AU) for the advancement of peace, security and conflict prevention in Africa. South Africa has been nominated to chair the AU in 2020 with a mandate to ensure that there are linkages between development, good governance, peace and stability. 1As chair, the department will focus on promoting economic development, trade and investment by seeking ways to foster inclusive growth and sustainable development; enhancing peace and security efforts in Africa; and supporting good governance through the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), the AU structure responsible for driving the union’s agenda of good governance.