South Africa's Foreign Policy Position in BRICS

The year 2009 marked the swing of South Africa's foreign policy focus from North to South and its renewed interest in emerging economies and developing countries has increased since the advent of the Jacob Zuma administration which came with a heightened focus on China and other emerging markets in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis. The most notable foreign policy triumph of South Africa was its import to BRICS grouping. However, this foreign policy accomplishment has been met with scepticism and criticism from different quarters. The recent slowdown of economic growth for China and other BRICS members (except India) and the uncertainty surrounding many deals including the nuclear deal between South Africa and Russia are among the pivotal checks for the country's foreign policy elites and policy makers. The admittance of South Africa into BRICS formation sponsored by China and the rise of this formation provides a final, useful case study to illustrate how South Africa's foreign policy has evolved since the demise of apartheid. The paper focuses on exploring the foreign policy triumph of South Africa since the end of the apartheid era and its position towards BRICS formation. The paper focuses on three phases of South Africa's foreign policy - the first phase (1994-1998), the second phase (1999-2008) and the third phase (2009-2017). The paper employs a historical analysis of relevant literature of South African foreign policy.