Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
18TH April2001
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr NC Dlamini Zuma, will be meeting with her counterpart, US Secretary of State General Colin Powell, and US National Security Advisor, Dr Condoleezza Rice, in Washington, D.C., on the 18th April 2001. The discussions are expected to concentrate on identifying mutual areas of cooperation between South Africa and the new US Administration. This discussion is expected to focus on, inter alia, the US’ involvement in the Millenium Africa Recovery Plan (MAP), an institutionalised mechanism for bilateral relations, and preparations for an official visit to the US by President Mbeki later this year.
Since 1994, business and personal links between South Africa and the US have been burgeoning and a strong and long-term SA-US working partnership has been established. This has led to the cultivation of a special bilateral relationship, as exemplified by the Binational Commission (BNC) which was established in 1995. The expansion of trade and investment, and the deepening of substantive cooperation in spheres such as agriculture, justice and anti-crime, defence, energy development, health, human resource development, housing, science and technology, and conservation and environmental matters are significant elements of the SA-US interaction.
Since 1994, three State Visits between the US and South Africa have taken place, further solidifying the relationship, as well as the close personal relationships between the respective leadership. President Mandela visited the US in October 1994, President Clinton visited South Africa in March 1998, and President Mbeki visited the US in May 2000. Furthermore, senior representatives of the US Administration and several US Congressional Delegations (CODELS) have also visited South Africa, the most recent of which was a bipartisan Congressional delegation led by the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Il) from 7-11 April 2001. This was the first ever visit to South Africa by a US Speaker of the House. These visits have served to increase mutual understanding and allowed for the further expansion of areas of cooperation.
The US is one of South Africa’s key trading partners in the world today. The bilateral trade relationship has maintained a consistent pattern of expansion since 1994. According to South African statistics, total trade has increased from R14,8 billion in 1994 and currently stands at some R38,68 billion for 2000 (R31 billion in 1999), making the US South Africa’s largest single trading partner in the world. In 2000 South African exports to the US totalled R16,75 billion (R11,66 billion in 1999), with imports from the US amounting to R21,93 billion (R20 billion in 1999).
Since 1994 the US has also consistently been the largest foreign direct investor in South Africa. According to available statistics, in 1999 the US had invested R21,5 billion (39,8%) of the total FDI amount of R58,38 billion since 1994. Through new and returning investments, the number of US companies in South Africa now exceeds the pre-sanctions period. While in 1994 (when US sanctions were lifted) the number of US companies in South Africa was 104 (256 having left), it is estimated that there were 386 active US companies in South Africa in August 1999.
South Africa is also a beneficiary of the US’s Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) that grants duty-free treatment to more than 4,650 products imported into the US. According to the US Commerce Department, the value of South African exports under the GSP programme amounted to some US$583,2 million in 2000. This figure is expected to rise as South Africa expands its exports to the US under the GSP programme through the granting of GSP benefits to an additional 1,783 products under the African Growth & Opportunity Act (AGOA).
Annual development assistance to South Africa currently stands at $47 million and totals more than $600 million since 1994.
For more information please contact Ms Basetsana Thokoane
Office 012 351 0174
Cell 083 443 7740