South Africa

List of South Africa articles

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greet each other at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on July 27, 2018.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greet each other at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on July 27, 2018.

6 Swing States Will Decide the Future of Geopolitics

These middle powers of the global south should be the focus of U.S. policy.

Russian President Vladimir Putin greets South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, Russia.

South Africa’s Nonsensical Nonalignment

The ANC has forgotten that the outside world’s principled rejection of neutrality sustained the struggle against apartheid.

Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sergei Lavrov meets with South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor during a press conference in Pretoria, South Africa, on Jan. 23.
Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sergei Lavrov meets with South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor during a press conference in Pretoria, South Africa, on Jan. 23.

A South African Scandal Could Shake up Relations With Washington

Do South Africa’s denials that it supplied weapons to Russia ring true?

Protesters hold a banner reading "Thank you Wagner,"  during a demonstration to celebrate France's announcement to withdraw French troops from Mali, in Bamako, on Feb. 19, 2022.
Protesters hold a banner reading "Thank you Wagner," during a demonstration to celebrate France's announcement to withdraw French troops from Mali, in Bamako, on Feb. 19, 2022.

How Russia Expands Its Influence in Africa

Wagner Group operations, disinformation efforts, and Western double standards are fueling Moscow’s popularity.

Housing structures in Khayelitsha, near Cape Town, South Africa, on April 21, 2022.
Housing structures in Khayelitsha, near Cape Town, South Africa, on April 21, 2022.
Ones-And-Tooze-podcast-series-1500x1000-site (1)
Ones-And-Tooze-podcast-series-1500x1000-site (1)

The Economics of South Africa Post-Apartheid

How does the country’s continued struggles with inequality affect its economy?

Listen to Heat of the Moment: The climate change crisis can feel so formidable, so daunting, that instead of mobilizing people to action, it engenders paralysis. What could we mortals possibly do to prevent the calamity? A fair bit, it turns out. On Heat of the Moment, a 12-part podcast by FP Studios, in partnership with the Climate Investment Funds, we focus on ordinary people across the globe who have found ways to fight back.
Listen to Heat of the Moment: The climate change crisis can feel so formidable, so daunting, that instead of mobilizing people to action, it engenders paralysis. What could we mortals possibly do to prevent the calamity? A fair bit, it turns out. On Heat of the Moment, a 12-part podcast by FP Studios, in partnership with the Climate Investment Funds, we focus on ordinary people across the globe who have found ways to fight back.

Building a Life-Giving Economy

A conversation with climate writer and podcaster Katherine Wilkinson.

Workers move batches of copper sheets, which are stored in a warehouse to be loaded on trucks, in Mufulira, Zambia, on July 6, 2016.
Workers move batches of copper sheets, which are stored in a warehouse to be loaded on trucks, in Mufulira, Zambia, on July 6, 2016.

Zambia Takes Anglo American to Court

A landmark class-action lawsuit in South Africa could set a precedent for holding multinational corporations responsible for environmental damages.

Protestor standing in front of a river, holding a sign against the Amazon River Club Development.
Protestor standing in front of a river, holding a sign against the Amazon River Club Development.

Amazon’s New Africa HQ Pits Indigenous South Africans Against Each Other

The planned development will bring jobs, but raises questions about who speaks for Khoi and San peoples, what is sacred, and how to commemorate injustice.

Listen to Heat of the Moment: The climate change crisis can feel so formidable, so daunting, that instead of mobilizing people to action, it engenders paralysis. What could we mortals possibly do to prevent the calamity? A fair bit, it turns out. On Heat of the Moment, a 12-part podcast by FP Studios, in partnership with the Climate Investment Funds, we focus on ordinary people across the globe who have found ways to fight back.
Listen to Heat of the Moment: The climate change crisis can feel so formidable, so daunting, that instead of mobilizing people to action, it engenders paralysis. What could we mortals possibly do to prevent the calamity? A fair bit, it turns out. On Heat of the Moment, a 12-part podcast by FP Studios, in partnership with the Climate Investment Funds, we focus on ordinary people across the globe who have found ways to fight back.

The Importance of Hearing All Voices

How the term “just transition” went from a niche idea in the U.S. labor rights movement to a global call for economic, social, and environmental transformation.

A South African flag waves next to electricity poles at the Frangipani Boerdery farm near Lichtenburg, South Africa, on Jan. 23.
A South African flag waves next to electricity poles at the Frangipani Boerdery farm near Lichtenburg, South Africa, on Jan. 23.

How South Africa’s Energy Crisis Became an Economic Crisis

Rolling power cuts, a failing grid, widespread coal theft, and corruption could pose a political threat to the African National Congress.

CIF_heat-of-the-moment-1500-1000
CIF_heat-of-the-moment-1500-1000

What Does a Just Transition Really Mean?

How communities and economies are transitioning away from fossil fuels in a fair and equitable way.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks during a press conference in London on Nov. 24.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks during a press conference in London on Nov. 24.

South Africa’s President Hangs On

Despite a scandal and damning report, Cyril Ramaphosa has managed to stay in charge of his party and the country.

The Inheritors: An Intimate Portrait of South Africa's Racial Reckoning by Eve Fairbanks (Simon & Schuster, 416 pp., $27.99, July 2022).
The Inheritors: An Intimate Portrait of South Africa's Racial Reckoning by Eve Fairbanks (Simon & Schuster, 416 pp., $27.99, July 2022).

No Justice. No Peace.

Post-apartheid South Africa remains steeped in the “rainbow nation” ideals of reconciliation and forgiveness—but it has never truly reckoned with accountability.

U.S. President Joe Biden holds a bilateral meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House in Washington on Sept. 16.
U.S. President Joe Biden holds a bilateral meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House in Washington on Sept. 16.

In Washington, Cyril Ramaphosa Defends South African Neutrality

South African leaders have consistently rejected U.S. efforts to punish African countries for nonalignment.

People sit atop a yellow billboard featuring a photo of Nelson Mandela, the African National Congress logo, and the slogan "Vote for Jobs, Peace and Freedom."
People sit atop a yellow billboard featuring a photo of Nelson Mandela, the African National Congress logo, and the slogan "Vote for Jobs, Peace and Freedom."

Nelson Mandela’s Missed Opportunity

South Africa’s former president had the chance to launch a massive program of regional economic integration but failed to seize it.

Residents of Johannesburg’s Soweto township protest.
Residents of Johannesburg’s Soweto township protest.

Why South Africa Is in the Dark, Again

Winter is here. And the country is facing its worst-ever energy crisis.

Operation Dudula leader Nhlanhla “Lux” Mohlauli
Operation Dudula leader Nhlanhla “Lux” Mohlauli

Has South Africa’s Donald Trump Arrived?

The xenophobic firebrand Nhlanhla “Lux” Mohlauli is courting poor Black voters by stoking hatred of foreigners. It’s working.

South-Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa (R) and Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) attend the Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, Russia, on Oct. 24, 2019.
South-Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa (R) and Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) attend the Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, Russia, on Oct. 24, 2019.
Load 10 More Articles
Loading graphics

Welcome to a world of insight.

Make the most of FP.

Explore the benefits of your FP subscription. Explore the benefits included in your subscription.

Stay updated on the topics you care about with email alerts. Sign up below. Stay updated on the topics you care about with email alerts. Sign up below.

Choose a few newsletters that interest you. Get more insight in your inbox.

Here are some we think you might like. Update your newsletter preferences.

  • World Brief thumbnail
  • Africa Brief thumbnail
  • Latin America Brief thumbnail
  • China Brief thumbnail
  • South Asia Brief thumbnail
  • Situation Report thumbnail

Keep up with the world without stopping yours. Keep up with the world without stopping yours.

Download the FP mobile app to read anytime, anywhere. Download the new FP mobile app to read anytime, anywhere.

Download on the App Store
  • Read the magazine
  • Save articles (and read offline)
  • Customize your feed
  • Listen to FP podcasts
Download on the Apple App Store
Download on the Google Play Store

Analyze the world’s biggest events. Analyze the world’s biggest events.

Join in-depth conversations and interact with foreign-policy experts with Join in-depth conversations and interact with foreign-policy experts with