ABSTRACT
South Africa’s entry broadened the representation of the Global South in BRICS. It could claim to have a member from Africa, a quintessential part of the Global South. Its transition from a country under apartheid to a democratic one has been a period of struggle. This struggle brought Africa into greater international focus under world icons such as Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo and Thabo Mbeki. A post-apartheid South Africa designed its foreign policy not just to play a much more significant role in the African continent but also to have greater visibility in international fora. Its participation in IBSA and later in BRICS is considered an important achievement for an emergent nation. The paper analyses the motives and role of South Africa in BRICS. BRICS has raised the status of South Africa by bringing it in league with big powers such as Russia, China, India and Brazil. South Africa has benefited from the developmental projects of BRICS, and has become the voice of Africa in a non-Western organisation.
