Key Reports and Data on Africa, South Africa, and US-SA Relations

General Reports

• Fact Sheet: Advancing U.S.-South African Cooperation
  South Africa is a strategic partner and friend of the United States. Since 2009, South Africa has hosted successful visits by Vice President Joe Biden, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, reflecting the importance the United States continues to place on our relationship with South Africa.
  Fact Sheet: Advancing U.S.-South African Cooperation
  US Embassy South Africa. November 2012
  South Africa is a strategic partner and friend of the United States. Since 2009, South Africa has hosted successful visits by Vice President Joe Biden, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, reflecting the importance the United States continues to place on our relationship with South Africa.
• Background Notes
  Department of State, Bureau of African Affairs
  Comprehensive but concise coverage of all economic, political and social systems.
• World Factbook
  Central Intelligence Agency
  Essential basic intelligence on South Africa.
  Full World Factbook
• South Africa: A Country Study
  Library of Congress. 1996
  Although published well over ten years ago, it provides a comprehensive and detailed historical perspective, describing and analyzing S.A's political, economic, social, and national security systems and institutions, and examining the interrelationships of those systems and the ways they were shaped by historical and cultural factors. The study was written by a multidisciplinary team of social scientists.

Economics & Trade

• South Africa Economic Fact Sheet (PDF 58 Kb)
  US Embassy South Africa. May 2012

United States International Trade Commission

Trade Data Reports and Trade Dataweb Interactive Database  

• US Domestic Exports at FAS Value to South Africa
• US Imports for Consumption at Customs Value from South Africa
• United States- Sub-Saharan Africa Trade Data
• Trade Dataweb Database

Sub-Saharan Africa: Effects of Infrastructure Conditions on Export Competitiveness (PDF 2120K)

Third Annual Report.  US International Trade Commission. April 2009

United States Trade Representative

• South Africa: US trade and investment profile 
  United States Trade Representative.
• National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers
  Office of the the United States Trade Representative. March 2012. This report covers import policies, government procurement, intellectual property rights protection, service barriers, investment barriers, and electronic commerce.
  
  Report on South Africa (PDF 29K) | Full report
  
• 2008 Comprehensive Report of the President on U.S. Trade and Investment Policy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa and Implementation of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (PDF 877K)
  United States Trade Representative. May 2008

Congressional Research Service 

• U.S. Trade and Investment Relationship with Sub-Saharan Africa: The African Growth and Opportunity Act and Beyond (PDF 226K)
  Congressional Research Service.  Oct 2008
  
  United States - Southern African Customs Union (SACU) Free Trade Agreement Negotiations: Background and Potential Issues (PDF 71K)
  Congressional Research Service.  Jul 2008

Foreign Assistance

• USAID Congressional Budget Justification 2010
  United States Agency for International Development

Foreign Policy

• Africa Command: U.S. Strategic Interests and the Role of the U.S. Military in Africa (PDF 1340K)
  Congressional Research Service.  Jan 2009
• South Africa: Current Issues and U.S. Relations (PDF 330K) Congressional Research Service.  May 2009 
• Partnerships and Initiatives: South Africa. 2010
  US Diplomatic Mission to South Africa. Public Affairs Office. 2010

Health Issues

• AIDS in Africa (PDF 101K)
  Congressional Research Service. Feb 2008
  Sub-Saharan Africa has been more severely affected by AIDS than any other part of the world... Experts relate the severity of the African epidemic to the region's poverty, women's relative lack of empowerment, high rates of male worker migration, and other factors. Health systems are ill-equipped for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment. 

Human Rights

• Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011
  Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. May  2012
  View: South Africa »
  
  
• Advancing Human Rights and Democracy: The U.S. Record 2010 (Africa) Department of State. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. May, 2010. This report documents the many ways the United States worked to foster respect for human rights and promote democracy worldwide.
  
  Complete reports on all countries

Human Trafficking

• Trafficking in Persons Report - Under Secretary for Global Affairs. Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. June 2012
  
  The Government of South Africa does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Efforts to address the myriad forms of human trafficking in South Africa remain constrained by systemic challenges. Nonetheless, the government demonstrated increased efforts to address human trafficking through the conviction of two offenders – sentenced to significantly longer prison terms than in previous years, including life imprisonment – and the provision of trafficking-specific victim services to 59 victims.
  
  
  View: Report covering South Africa - scroll down |  2012 report | All reports

Narcotics

• International Narcotics Control Strategy Report 2012
  Department of State. Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. March 2012
  
  "South African enforcement success during the FIFA World Cup 2010 was widely noted. The South African Police Service’s (SAPS) Central Drug Authority (CDA) is planning to create a national narcotics database as part of the 2012-2017 National Master Plan on Drugs. South Africa continued to battle with significant challenges involving drug trafficking, substance abuse, and drug related crime."
  
  View: Extract covering South Africa | 2012 Report | All reports

Religious Freedom

• July-December, 2010 International Religious Freedom Report
  Department of State. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. September 2011
  
  "The constitution and other laws and policies protect religious freedom, and in practice, the government generally enforced these protections.The government generally respected religious freedom in law and in practice. There was no change in the status of respect for religious freedom by the government during the reporting period.There were few reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious affiliation, belief, or practice."
  
  Extract from section covering South Africa

Terrorism

• Country Reports on Terrorism 2009
  Department of State. Counterterrorism Office. April 2010
  "South Africa supported efforts to counter international terrorism and shared financial, law enforcement, and limited intelligence information with the United States. In advance of the 2010 World Cup, there has been closer cooperation between South African and U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies concerning recent terrorist threats against U.S. facilities in South Africa. South Africa’s direct international air links and its permeable land borders made it vulnerable to illegal immigration, trafficking, and international organized crime."
  
  Extract from the section covering South Africa | All reports

Travel

• Consular Information Sheet [on travel in South Africa]
  Department of State. Bureau of Consular Affairs
  "South Africa is in many respects a developed country, but much of its population lives in poverty. All major urban areas have modern, world-class hotels and tourist facilities. Game parks and areas most often visited by tourists have a wide range of facilities. Food and water are generally safe, and a wide variety of consumer goods and pharmaceuticals are readily available..."