South Africa is Germany’s most important partner in sub-Saharan Africa. The binational commission, launched in 1996 provides the framework for ongoing work to nurture and deepen bilateral cooperation.

Germany is South Africa’s second largest bilateral trading partner; meanwhile, with trade worth more than 20 billion euro, South Africa is Germany’s most important trading partner in Africa. South Africa is the only African member of the G20 and is to assume the chair in 2025. One significant shared initiative is the G20 Compact with Africa (CwA). Its aim is to improve business conditions in participating countries and contribute to greater private investment.

Over 600 German companies operating in South Africa have invested more than 6.2 billion euro there and employ a total workforce of nearly 100,000. Almost as many jobs again are created indirectly by German companies.

Development cooperation covers the fields of energy and climate, vocational education and training, governance, preventing violence, as well as health. South Africa has received funding of approximately 2.75 billion euro since 1994. A total of 276.5 million euro was pledged in November 2024 during the intergovernmental negotiations.

There has been a German-South African energy partnership since 2013 coordinating a wide range of bilateral cooperation in this field. On the margins of the 2021 climate summit in Glasgow, the political statement on a Just Energy Transition (JET) launched the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JET‑P), a long‑term partnership between Germany, the EU and other partners with South Africa as a pilot partner, to support this transition.

Ties in the fields of culture, academia and education are very broad and intensive. For example, Germany supports and assists South Africa with the ongoing transformation process in basic, vocational and higher education. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is represented at six universities in South Africa. The Goethe-Institut runs the regional institute for sub-Saharan Africa in Johannesburg and supports a Goethe-Zentrum in Cape Town.