South Africa has come a long way since the end of apartheid in 1994 and has demonstrated extraordinary political, economic and social development.
The relationship between Germany and South Africa is a strategic partnership based on common goals and intense co-operation in a variety of fields, such as foreign policy, trade and investment, research and development, sports, arts and culture as well as social issues.
One of the biggest pillars of German South African co-operation is development policy, in which the two countries have been working closely together since 1994. German Official Development Assistance (ODA) supports South Africa in many fields and the total amount of German ODA amounts to approximately 660 million Euro (7 billion Rand) to date.
Within the German government, development cooperation, in large part, falls under the auspices of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Every two years new funding is committed by the BMZ in the areas of financial and technical cooperation within the framework of “Government Negotiations on Bi-lateral Development Cooperation”.
The South Africa of today is a stable democracy. In contrast to its apartheid predecessor, its governing party - the African National Congress (ANC) - manages to keep the national household in order. However, while economic development shows solid growth, social inequality has increased, with a large portion of the black majority population still living in poverty. Despite the domestic industry’s increasing need for skilled labour, unemployment rates maintain a steady high. Read More …
The transition from apartheid to democracy in South Africa has taken place to a large extent in a peaceful manner. Nelson Mandela’s ideas of reconciliation and dialogue have to this day remained national goals. His vision of a “rainbow nation” - a peaceful coexistence of people of all skin colours - is still the foundation of South Africa’s economic and social development goals. Read More …
Foto: © PICTURE ALLIANCE / DPA
Germany opposed the degrading, inhumane system of apartheid from early on. Nelson Mandela’s election ushered in a new era of democratic partnership. The dream of the “rainbow nation” was to become reality. Trade and investment started to flourish, bursaries and cultural exchange developed, political parties embarked on cooperation across borders, German constitutional law experts acted as advisers during the process of drafting the constitution. Read More …
Foto: © GUY STUBBS. www.guystubbs.co.za
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