Description
This Chapter seeks to ascertain the status of South Africa’s1 international cooperation efforts, and trade statistics, since March 2021, in response to the continued presence of the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic. As outlined by the previous edition of this chapter, the impact of covid-19 pandemic on global trade and international relations was unprecedented. Despite this, South Africa’s response to the virus was lauded by some global observers as “a standout in the region”, emphasising President Cyril Ramaphosa’s frank and effective communication with his public and his government’s move to close borders and restrict movement early on in the outbreak (Devermont and Mukulu, 2020). Moreover as AU Chair in 2020, President Ramaphosa used the platform to lobby international financial institutions for economic relief and concrete supports for the continent and aside from establishing a solidarity fund, used diplomatic outreach to assist in coordinating an African response.