Illustrative Image: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa shake hands during a bilateral meeting at Sandton Convention Centre on November 21, 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo: Leon Neal / Getty Images) | UK flag | SA flag | Graph. (Image: Freepik)| (By Daniella Lee Ming Yesca) 
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The year 2025 has been hugely significant for both South Africa and the UK-South Africa relationship.
Through its G20 Presidency, South Africa put growth, inclusion and reform at the top of the global agenda. UK ministers and senior officials engaged extensively on these priorities through the year, taking part in around 130 working groups and ministerial meetings, culminating in the Leaders’ Summit, the first time that it had been hosted on African soil.
Our many visitors also took the opportunity to advance bilateral as well as G20 objectives, driving forward our work with South Africa on climate, health, security and gender-based violence and femicide, among other issues.
Central to all of this is our shared commitment to creating opportunities for growth through increased trade, investment and job creation.
Last month marked one year since then UK foreign secretary David Lammy launched the UK-South Africa Growth Partnership during his visit to Cape Town in November 2024.
He set out a clear ambition, declaring that economic growth would underpin our work together: “This will mean more jobs, more prosperity and more opportunities for Brits and South Africans alike.”
The UK-South Africa trade relationship is the UK’s most important on the continent, with trade between us totalling more than R250-billion annually. More than R500-billion of UK investment in South Africa makes us the country’s largest international investor.
Partnership aims for tangible impact
Our Growth Partnership aims to turn that scale into tangible impact: creating jobs, reducing inequality, building infrastructure and unlocking opportunity in communities across South Africa. More than 100,000 South Africans are directly employed by UK companies operating here. We want that number to grow.
In July, the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, and South Africa’s Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, launched a flagship infrastructure partnership to mobilise R250-million of investment into national and municipal infrastructure – from water and sanitation to transport and urban services – including in some of the country’s poorest cities and towns. UK firms will have the opportunity to export world-class expertise in infrastructure design, finance and delivery.
The chancellor had already seen that expertise at work earlier in the year. During her February visit to Cape Town, she toured the V&A Waterfront, where a R25-billion expansion project was unveiled, designed by UK architects and showcasing British excellence in urban design and large-scale development. The project is not only transforming one of Africa’s most iconic mixed-use precincts; it is also supporting jobs, skills transfer and long-term economic growth.
In July, the chancellor also announced a new UK programme to boost urban economic development. It focuses on improving urban planning and infrastructure in disadvantaged municipal areas, unlocking land, investment and opportunity where it is needed most. Better-planned cities mean more inclusive growth and stronger foundations for future investment.
Our collaboration with the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure and the Gauteng provincial government has further strengthened their ability to deliver complex infrastructure projects. Together, we are building capacity to plan, procure and manage projects with a combined capital value of more than R1-billion. This supports South Africa’s growth ambitions while creating clear, investable pipelines that enable private sector participation.
Focus on transport and trade
Transport and trade have been other areas of focus. We have connected Transport for London with more than 40 officials from Durban and Cape Town to share lessons on running efficient, data-driven and low-carbon public transport. These exchanges have resulted in concrete business plans for passenger rail operations – cutting costs, reducing emissions and improving access to jobs.
The UK Trade Partnerships programme, also announced by the then foreign secretary in November 2024, has supported 40 South African SMEs in agriculture and green tech to reach global markets and secure investment. One food tech company receiving a boost through the programme was MycoSure, which has just closed its second round of commercial funding to grow its team and start design of its first facility.
When Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Johannesburg ahead of the G20 Leaders’ Summit he unveiled major new UK-South Africa initiatives, including more than R9-billion in export deals, showcasing our commitment to deepening economic ties and advancing shared priorities, from sustainable growth and infrastructure, to climate resilience and inclusive development.
He also met SME founders and innovators to hear how new partnerships with the JSE, Anglo American and Telkom will scale up start-up capability through accelerating growth with investment in South Africa’s tech ventures.
His visit to the Gautrain depot was a particular highlight. He announced a new agreement between the UK and South Africa, under which Britain’s Crossrail International will support South Africa’s Department of Transport in its mission to increase train passenger journeys and move freight off the roads and back onto rail.
UK is open for business
A key message from the prime minister and other ministers was that the UK is open for business. As the second-fastest-growing G7 economy, our competitive tax rates, expanded venture capital incentives and reforms to support entrepreneurs make the UK one of the most attractive destinations for international investment. We value the investment South African businesses have already made in Britain. The latest data shows more than R81-billion is invested in the UK by South African firms – including companies such as Nando’s, which employs 19,000 Brits across 480 locations.
The message is clear: the UK sees South Africa as a strategic ally in shaping global economic growth that works for the people of both countries. One year on from launching the UK-SA Growth Partnership, we can point to real progress on the ground. Projects are under way, investment has been mobilised, capacity has been built and opportunities created.
Growth is not an abstract concept. It is a new rail line that gets people to work, a revitalised neighbourhood that attracts investment, a municipal service that finally reaches those who need it and a business – British or South African – that can expand, hire and innovate. The UK remains firmly committed to delivering growth that delivers for both our nations, and we are excited to see what we can do together in the years to come. DM
Antony Phillipson is the British High Commissioner to South Africa.