The impact of the recession in Europe, for example, has been felt particularly hard in the motor vehicle export sector. However the decline in exports to Europe in 2012 was more than compensated for by a 19 per cent increase in vehicle exports to Africa in that year. The focus of South Africa’s regional interactions has not only been on the trade side.
Foreign Direct Investment in the region grew from less than $ bn in 1990 to almost $ bn in 2012. South African companies have been very active in this respect and have increasingly made their presence felt on the continent in mining, the retail sector, construction, telecommunications, agri-business and banking in particular.