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Sub-Saharan Africa
The words "!ke e /xarra //ke" written in the Khoisan language of the South African /Xam people literally mean "diverse peoples unite". They have been part of the emblem of South Africa since 2000 and are a reference to the country's original inhabitants, as well as being a motto for the future. In 1994, after years of international isolation on account of its policy of racial segregation known as 'apartheid', free and universal elections marked South Africa's return to the international community. The country elected its first black president, Nelson Mandela, who epitomises the struggle against the apartheid regime of the white minority, which cost thousands of lives. The work done by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in coming to terms with this bitter past has earned it wide international acclaim.
These days, South Africa plays a leading political and economic role on the African continent and is of fundamental importance for stability in its region. The country is committed to resolving inner-African conflicts and to the process of integrating and uniting the countries of Africa under the umbrella of the African Union (AU) and other regional alliances. South Africa plays an active role in international organisations and acts as intermediary between the North and the South on issues of global structural policy. For example, as the only African member of the G20, the country represents African interests in the discussions on the overhaul of the global financial and economic system. By hosting, in 2010, the first football World Cup tournament ever to be held on African soil, South Africa helped to boost Africa's standing worldwide.
Despite the great progress it has made, the country remains a place of stark contrasts. Huge differences in income and high unemployment are problems which can be traced back to the decades-long policy of apartheid. Great social inequality, an extremely high crime rate and the high HIV/AIDS rate are holding back development and investment. South Africa is home to 17 per cent of the total number of people infected with HIV worldwide, though it accounts for only 0.6 per cent of the global population. Moreover, South Africa too has been affected by the general decline in the global economy since 2008. Unemployment is extremely high: the official rate was 25.4 per cent in 2010, but the unofficial rate is estimated to be over 40 per cent. At the same time, South Africa's economy has a high consumption of resources. South Africa is not only the largest carbon dioxide emitter in Africa – it has the 14th highest carbon dioxide emissions in the world.
Germany is helping South Africa to overcome its social and economic problems. The development cooperation between the two states focuses on three priority areas: energy and climate; good governance including the prevention of social violence; and HIV/AIDS prevention. A further area for cooperation is vocational training, with a strong focus from 2012 onwards on "green" occupations.
South Africa is not only an important partner in political dialogue for Germany, it is also its most important trading partner on the African continent. About 600 German companies have establishments in South Africa, with a total workforce of about 90,000. In 2010, trade between the two countries was worth 13 billion euros, making Germany South Africa's second largest trading partner after China.
German Embassy

German Embassy in South Africa
180 Blackwood Street
0083 Arcadia
Pretoria
South Africa
Phone: +27 / 12 / 427 89 00
Fax: +27 / 12 / 343 94 01






