Germany has been supporting South Africa since 1992. South African-German Development Cooperation is currently focusing on the following priority areas:

Governance and Administration

Good governance is a prerequisite for effective poverty reduction. An efficient public administration is the bedrock of a functioning state. When President Nelson Mandela took office in 1994, the new government pledged to create “a better life for all”. New state structures were established to overcome the barriers of racial segregation and discrimination and particularly municipalities were tasked to play a key role in making the developmental state a reality. At this stage, one of the major challenges is to strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of the public administration and the cooperative governance system. German Development Cooperation is especially contributing to improve the delivery of public services. Reforming the public service, enhancing the performance of municipalities and provinces, achieving greater citizen participation, and preventing crime and violence are key issues on which GTZ advises its South African partners on behalf of the German Government.

Skills Development

(Skills Development in Mabopane. Photo: GTZ/Ralf Baecker)

During Apartheid, access to skills development and to the labour market was used as an instrument of political oppression against the previously disadvantaged population. Nearly 90 percent of them received no formal training and have virtually no employment opportunities on South Africa’s modern, formal labour market. Modern companies are struggling to fill vacant positions despite an unemployment rate of up to 40 percent. To enhance the skills of formerly disadvantaged citizens and to improve their opportunities in the formal and informal labour markets remain further key challenges for German Development Cooperation with South Africa. GTZ on behalf of the German Government has been assisting the country in creating the foundations for a modern vocational training system and in providing a demand driven and labour market oriented skills development system. Currently the support is shifting to simplifying this system and to offering even better training to more people.

Climate and Energy

(Saving energy with efficient cook stoves. Photo: GTZ)

The need for energy is rapidly rising in South Africa. Still, the country satisfies the demand mainly through the country’s huge resources of coal, but at a price; South Africa is one of the major producers of greenhouse gas. Concurrently, the country is one of the countries expected to be most heavily affected by climate change. It is therefore not only of national, but of global importance, whether the country continues to focus on conventional energy resources or puts stronger focus on renewable energies. With rising energy prices, the use of biomass will continue to be the major source of energy for those who generate little or no income at all and live below the poverty threshold. To use energy in general and especially biomass efficiently and to reduce emissions is therefore another major challenge German Development Cooperation is facing in South Africa. On behalf of the German Government GTZ assists the country to supply energy to all citizens and to reduce energy consumption through enhanced energy efficiency.