An effective economic-diplomacy policy requires cooperation between the
government and the private sector. This has been acknowledged by the South African
Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) in its White Paper on
foreign policy. However, state-business relations in South Africa are characterised by high levels of mistrust and ad hoc engagements. Therefore it is recommended that efforts be made to encourage stronger organised-business structures that would enable government to identify key business stakeholders to engage with on peacebuilding initiatives and other more traditional areas of economic diplomacy. South African parastatals (state-owned enterprises) also have the potential to play a bridging role between the public and private sectors to help achieve government’s goals of economic diplomacy.
