Secretariat support for South Africa
Elections support
In October 2018, South Africa took part in a Commonwealth Election Professionals (CEP) Initiative training. Participants learned about new technologies, as well as how to plan and finance elections.
Anti-corruption
The Secretariat helped South Africa’s Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to work with other anti-corruption agencies in the region. In August 2018 and May 2019, the Secretariat's Africa Anti-Corruption Centre in Botswana ran an intelligence-gathering course in Pretoria for SIU staff.
Health
The Secretariat is developing an information and price-sharing database for essential medicines. South Africa will be one of the early beneficiaries.
Trade
In November 2018, the Commonwealth helped a senior official from the South African Department of Trade and Industry attend a Commonwealth consultation on trade held in Seychelles.
Connectivity Agenda
The Secretariat is helping South Africa to co-lead on its Digital Connectivity Cluster as part of the Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda.
It also helped the Businesswomen’s Association of South Africa to share their views during a special session on Women in the Digital Economy.
Blue Charter
South Africa is a member of the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance – the Blue Charter Action Group on tackling marine plastic pollution.
South Africa in the Commonwealth
South Africans John Maxwell Coetzee (in 2000) and Manu Herbstein (in 2002) have both been overall winners in the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize.
South Africa awards scholarships for postgraduate study to citizens of other Commonwealth countries under the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan.
