Image: South African schoolchildren cheering ahead of the 2010 football World Cup © Dianne Tipping-Woods/DFID
The Secretary of State has announced a review of the DFID Bilateral Aid Programme. The information on this page reflects current activity and is not an indication of the direction or possible outcome of the review.
Just over 16 years since its first democratic elections, South Africa is an important player in the southern Africa region, accounting for about 70% of the region’s GDP. It is also an increasingly important actor on the global stage, as the only African member of the G20 and host to the first FIFA World Cup to be held in Africa.
The country’s 15-year review, published in 2008, recognised remarkable progress in addressing the legacy of decades of apartheid. However, it also emphasises that South Africa remains a highly unequal society with critical challenges around poverty, unemployment, skills and health. 26% of the population still live on less than $1.25 a day.
DFID’s Southern Africa office (DFID SA) is based in Pretoria and manages programmes in South Africa, Lesotho and the wider southern Africa region.
In South Africa, DFID works with the South African government and charities to reduce poverty and promote growth. We are supporting efforts to increase jobs and investment, tackle HIV and AIDS, improve health and redress inequality, as well as helping vulnerable communities cope with the effects of climate change.