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You are in: Home > South Africa > Organisations > South Africa in the Commonwealth

South Africa in the Commonwealth

did you know?

  • South Africa became a member of the Commonwealth in 1931, temporarily leaving 1961, and later rejoining in 1994
  • South Africa has been competing in the Commonwealth Games since 1930, and has won 280 medals since joining
  • Two South Africans, Nadine Gordimer (in 1991) and John Maxwell Coetzee (in 2003), have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature
  • J M Coetzee won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize with his novel, Disgrace, in 2000 and Manu Herbstein, the award for Best First Book (Ama, a Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade) in 2002
  • Eleven South Africans have been regional winners in the Commonwealth Writers' Prize
  • Scholarships and fellowships are awarded by South Africa to citizens of other Commonwealth countries under the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan
  • South Africa hosts the secretariat of the Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration and Management and its president, Zandile Kunene, is a South African citizen

Senior Commonwealth officers

  • Dr Cyrus Rustomjee, Director of Economic Affairs, Commonwealth Secretariat 2009-
  • Jenny Glennie, Deputy Chair, Board of Governors, Commonwealth of Learning
  • David McQuoid-Mason, President, Commonwealth Legal Education Association
  • Ivan Kotze, President, Commonwealth Pharmacists Association
  • Christine Platt, President and Chief Executive, Commonwealth Association of Planner

Commonwealth meetings hosted

  • 1999 CHOGM in Durban, resulting in the Fancourt Commonwealth Declaration on Globalisation and People-Centred Development.
  • 2003 The second Commonwealth Local Government Conference in Tshwane
  • 2006 Sixteenth Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers in Cape Town
  • 2008 The Association of Commonwealth Examination and Accreditation Bodies conference in Tshwane

Commonwealth Projects

Development of Mpumalanga Province Tourism Growth Strategy (2007/08)
This Commonwealth funded project supported the development of a tourism master plan for Mpumalanga Province covering areas of marketing and promotion, skill and institutional requirements, economic, social and environmental sustainability and infrastructure and product development. With a tourism master plan it was expected that the Province would be assisted to meet its targets of increasing tourist arrivals and expenditure, as well as coordinating tourism development planning in the Province.

Benchmarking of South Africa's Fruit Export Trade Logistics Chain (2007/08)
The goal of this Commonwealth Secretariat commissioned project was to enhance the competitiveness of South Africa's fresh fruit export chain through improvements to the trade industry logistics chain. The project carried out a benchmarking study to assist South Africa assess its fresh fruit export trade chain against best practice and international standards, and supported the development of an action plan to correct weaknesses indentified in the chain.

E-Learning and Website Designer/ Developer (2005/06)
Technical assistance was provided, on behalf of the Commonwealth, to support the design, development and implementation of an effective user-friendly website that provides information on e-learning strategies and opportunities to the clients and partner organisations of the South African Management Development Institute (SAMDI). The website was also intended to promote the professional image of SAMDI as a leading training and development institute.

Study tour to India by Agricultural Research Council (ARC) of South Africa (2004)
A study tour for two officials of the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) of South Africa was supported by the Commonwealth. The tour included the 'Bio-Villages Programme' of the M S Swaninathan Research Foundation in Tamil Nadu and a rural development programme of the Central Food Technological Research Institute in Karnataka, India. These two Indian institutions have developed successful programmes of assistance to rural women in agricultural production and small-scale agribusiness. The main purpose of the study tour was to enable the ARC officials to understudy the activities of these institutions and gain practical field experience in the design and delivery of similar programmes of technical support to women in South Africa.

Advisor to the Commission for Gender Equality (1999)
This advisory project entailed the appointment of a long-term expert, which was provided by the Commonwealth Secretariat to the Commission for Gender Equality, whose aims were to advise the Commission on policies, implementation of its Programme of Action as well as on gender sensitisation.


South Africa in the Commonwealth in South_Africa
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African Union (AU) Logo

South Africa joined the the African Union in 1994. The African Union is a supranational union consisting of fifty-three African states.


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South African National NGO Coalition

SANGOCO is the largest single umbrella body of NGOs in the Southern African region with members in every corner of the country and working on all issues affecting South Africa's development.