Doing Business in South Africa

The aims of the subject “Foreign Trade and Business in the Republic of South Africa” are the following:

1. To analyze the South African Economy and Global Trade;
2. To know the business opportunities in the Republic of South Africa;
3. To explore the South African trade relations with the country of the student;
4. To know the South African Trade Agreements;
5. To examine the profile of the South African Businessman;
6. To develop a business plan for the South African Market.

The Subject “Foreign Trade and Business in South Africa” belongs to the following Online Higher Educational Programs taught by EENI Global Business School:

Masters (MIB): Business in Africa, International Business, Foreign Trade.

Doctorate (DIB): African Business, World Trade.

Course: Business in Southern Africa.

Learning materials in or Afrique du Sud Africa do Sul Sudáfrica.

1. Credits of the subject “Foreign Trade and Business in South Africa”: 3 ;
2. Duration: three weeks.

1. South African Ports (Durban, Richards Bay, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town);
2. Trans-African corridors:
   1. North-South Corridor;
   2. Tripoli-Windhoek Corridor;
   3. Cairo-Gaborone Corridor.

South African Preferential Access and Free Trade Agreements:

1. South Africa and the Southern African Economic Area;
2. Southern African Development Community (SADC)
   1. European Union-SADC Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
3. COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Agreement;
4. Southern African Customs Union (SACU)
   1. India-Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU) Agreement;
   2. EFTA-Southern African Customs Union (SACU) Free Trade Agreement (FTA);
   3. United Kingdom-SACU and Mozambique Economic Partnership Agreement;
   4. MERCOSUR-Southern African Customs Union (SACU) Preferential Trade Agreement.
5. African Continental Free-Trade Area (AfCFTA);
6. Indian-Ocean Rim Association (IORA);
7. African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Africa-United States;
8. Trade Agreements with Cameroon and Malawi;
9. EU-South Africa Trade and Cooperation Agreement;
10. BRICS Countries.

1. World Trade Organization (WTO)
   1. WTO Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS);
   2. WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS);
   3. WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT);
   4. WTO Agreement on Preshipment Inspection (PSI);
   5. WTO Agreement on Safeguards (SG);
   6. WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).
2. World Customs Organization (WCO)
   1. Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC).
3. International Convention on the Harmonization of Frontier Controls of Goods (UNECE);
4. International Bureau of Containers and Intermodal Transport (BIC);
5. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, Chicago Convention);
6. International Maritime Organization (IMO)
   1. International Convention for Safe Containers (CSC);
   2. Convention Relating to Temporary Admission (Istanbul Convention).
7. Customs Convention on Containers (CCC, UN) - not a member;
8. Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM / IATA).

African Trade and Economic Organizations:

1. Economic Commission for Africa (ECA);
2. African Union (AU)
   1. African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption;
   2. African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD).
3. African Development Bank (AfDB);
4. Africa-Asia Strategic Partnership (NAASP);
5. Africa-Korea Partnership;
6. Africa-India Framework for Cooperation;
7. Africa-BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa);
8. Africa-Turkey Partnership;
9. Afro-Arab Cooperation;
10. Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA);
11. Africa-Japan Cooperation (TICAD);
12. Africa-South America Summit (ASA);
13. Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

Global Economic Organizations:

1. World Bank (WB);
2. World Trade Organization (WTO);
3. United Nations (UN)
   1. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD);
   2. International Trade Centre (INTRACEN);
   3. World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
4. International Monetary Fund (IMF);
5. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (Key Partner)
   1. OECD anti-corruption measures.

1. South Africa has a population of 55 million people.
   1. 79% are classified as African, 9.6% as Whites, 8.9% as colored, and 2.5% are people from India and Asia;
2. Area of South Africa: 1,221,037 square kilometers;
3. South African Capital: Pretoria (Executive power), Bloemfontein (judicial power), and Cape Town (legislative);
4. Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa (957,441 people);
5. Largest cities: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Durban and Ekurhuleni;
6. Borders of South Africa: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Eswatini (Swaziland), and Lesotho;
7. Official languages of South Africa (11): Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sesotho sa Leboa, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, and Xitsonga.

More information about South Africa (EENI African Business Portal).

Main religions in South Africa:

1. Almost 80% of the South African people are Christians
   1. Catholicism;
   2. Protestants (30 million, 68% of the population, Methodists: 4 million);
   3. Anglicans.
2. African Traditional Religions.

South Africa belongs to the Southern African Economic Area (African Civilization).

Economy of South Africa.

1. South Africa is one of the most promising emerging markets (BRICS countries), and the second African Economy after Nigeria;
2. Not only South Africa is a significant emerging economy, but is also the gateway to the other Southern African Markets;
3. South Africa is a highly developed country with good infrastructures and a good climate for the foreign direct investment;
4. There are significant business opportunities in South Africa;
5. South Africa is one of the BRICS Countries (Brazil, India, and South Africa);
6. The Republic of South Africa is the second economic powerhouse of Africa;
7. The economy of South Africa has been growing since September 1999;
8. South Africa is leading the industrial production, mineral production and electricity in Africa.

South Africa is the first African car-maker (76% of the total African production).

1. The Business Process Outsourcing is one of the fastest growing economic sectors in South Africa. The Call centre industry employs 54 000 call centre agents;
2. The South African manufacturing sector is the most developed in Africa;
3. The Motor vehicle industry in South Africa accounts for 10% of the manufacturing exports;
4. State-owned companies have a critical function in the economy;
5. The South Africa Stock Exchange ranks among the top 20 in the World;
6. Legal Framework of South Africa is well-developed;
7. The Republic of South Africa has a modern and efficient infrastructure;
8. Many multinational companies are established in the country to export products and services to the Southern African region;
9. The Black Economic Empowerment is a policy instrument intended at broadening the economic base of South Africa, further stimulating the economic growth and creating jobs while eradicating the poverty;
10. The United States is the largest trading partner of South Africa (is a beneficiary of AGOA).

The largest South African Ports:

1. Port of Durban;
2. Richards Bay;
3. Port of East London;
4. Ngqura;
5. Port Elizabeth;
6. Mossel Bay;
7. Cape Town;
8. Saldanha.

Nearest foreign ports:

Port of Walvis Bay (Namibia).

1. Via Trans-Orange Corridor: Northern Cape, Upington;
2. Via Trans-Kalahari Corridor: Gauteng, Johannesburg, and Pretoria.

The Port of Maputo (Mozambique) is located to 120 kilometers of the frontier. Access to Limpopo, Gauteng, and Mpumalanga (Maputo Development Corridor), Johannesburg, and Pretoria.

(c) EENI Global Business School (1995-2023)
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