Manna from Heaven! South Africa’s Search for Relevance in the BRICS Constellation

When South Africa originally joined BRICS, it had no palpable strategy towards this new-fangled constellation; it initially responded to the BRICS invitation as a boost to its international ‘prestige’. As time went on, we saw a bit by bit, almost frantic search for a strategy. As it unfolded South Africa started to stress domestic, regional and international rationales which underscored its BRICS participation. It highlighted the potential for massive economic spin-off to be had from BRICS that could boost its ailing economy at home. It further viewed BRICS as a boost to its African leadership aspirations. BRIC members singled out South Africa as a ‘gateway’ to Africa that could help to secure access to the African market during a time of ‘Africa rising’. From the perspectives of geoeconomic, geopolitical and geostrategic calculations, South Africa developed rather bold and ambitious goals vis-à-vis BRICS, viewing BRICS as both a countervailing force in a western-dominated world order, and even regarded BRICS as a potential alternative to the capitalist order that was dominated by the western powers.