South Africa’s Image in Africa and the Impact on its BRICS-Africa Relationships

Abstract

It is important to use South Africa’s image through public diplomacy and nation branding as a litmus test in order to determine how its actions may impact on the message that it desires to communicate. South African leaders have said repeatedly that Africa is pivotal to its foreign policy and engagement in international relations; moreover, it is anticipated that South Africa’s positioning in Africa and Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) may provide the continent with a different angle to exercise agency. Therefore, this paper asks how South Africa may learn to use its desired image and credibility to remain a strategic role player in the BRICS-Africa geopolitical landscape. This is particularly important, as Brazil, Russia, India and China have illustrated through their interactions in Africa that they do not need South Africa to sustain successful partnerships in Africa.