Southern Africa

Region: Southern Africa

The Southern African region had a population of 312.7-million in 2016.

The executive arm of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has eight directorates which deal with matters such as policy, defence, trade, finance and investment, infrastructure, agriculture and social and human development.

The member states of SADC are Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The Southern African Customs Union (SACU), which is based in the Namibian capital of Windhoek, is a customs union among Eswatini, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa.

Climate

The fact that Africa narrows in the south means that oceans play a greater role in climate than they do in the wider, northern part of the continent. The south is generally cooler and more humid. The eastern coast and hinterland have experienced destructive cyclones in recent years and many parts of the region were hit by severe drought after 2016.

South of the Zambezi River, semi-arid areas receive some rains, but temperatures remain high. In the savanna, temperatures are cooler than in the tropical areas. The South African Highveld comprises a temperate upland climatic region with temperatures that vary between warm and very cold depending on altitude and thunderstorms are frequent. A humid subtropical marine climate occurs on the south-east coast. On the southern coast, Mediterranean conditions occur.

Economy

The southern region is relatively well integrated and communications is supported by good infrastructure.

South Africa has the most diverse economy with a sophisticated banking and financial services to back it up. Manufacturing, industry, retail and construction are other strong sectors. The regional economy’s growth has been affected by the weak performance of South Africa. Commodity price fluctuations have something to do with the slump, but the most important reason was an outbreak of looting that became known as “state capture”.

Mining and tourism are key sectors across the region. In Malawi, 80% of the population are dependent on agriculture but productivity levels are low. A very stable country, Malawi has adopted a vision to lift its people out of poverty focusing on education, energy, agriculture, health and tourism.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is home to a vast array of minerals. Botswana is the world’s leading diamond producer. Mauritius is forging ahead as an investment destination in high-value fields. Investment in renewable energy in Tanzania is on the rise. The discovery of big gas fields off the coast of Mozambique could be a game-changer for the whole region. The country is already a contributor to the Southern Africa Power Pool through its hydropower projects.

Resources

Gas, oil, manganese, iron ore, diamonds, gold, zinc, copper, potash, phosphate, ilmenite, rutile, cobalt, platinum group metals.