ABSTRACT
Southern Africa is undergoing profound changes, and 1994 was a particularly important year in this process. There was always a strong international dimension to developments in Southern Africa. Changes in the region, while fundamentally driven by internal factors, have been influenced by the changing global environment since the late 1980s. The Preferential Trade Area for Eastern and Southern African States (PTA) was inaugurated in 1982 as one regional section of the Economic Commission for Africa and Organization of African Unity plan for establishing a pan-African economic community. The Southern African Customs Union and the Common Monetary Area are closely related and can be dealt with together, as they both reflect co-operation initiatives centred on South Africa. The heads of state and government of the whole Southern African Development Community and PTA/ Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa area have set their sights on determining the future of their regional co-operation organizations.
