British Council first opened its office in Pretoria, the country’s administrative capital, in 1958. An office in Cape Town was opened in 1974. In 1987, at the height of South Africa’s infamous State of Emergency, we relocated to Johannesburg, situating ourselves closer to the anti-apartheid civil society organisations with which we partnered and engaged. In 1996, a Durban office was added to the South African operation. The Pretoria office closed in March 2006. Today British Council has 41 country-appointed staff and 5 UK-appointed staff.
The British Council South Africa is the largest in the region and forms part of the Southern Africa regional directorate, which also includes Botswana, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Angola, Zimbabwe and Zambia. We continue to maintain the close ties we have historically enjoyed with other UK agencies in South Africa. Bilateral relations and links between the UK and South Africa are strong. We co-ordinate activities and strategies at various levels with the British High Commission in South Africa and work closely with the Department for International Development (DFID) and UK Trade and Investment (UKTI).
Our work in South Africa includes demonstrating the innovation, creativity and excellence of British science, arts, literature and design and providing the latest information about studying in the UK; promoting British education and training.
Working under Apartheid
During apartheid, the British Council worked to assist non-violent anti-apartheid organisations and programmes that aimed to educate the non-white community.
Our work today
We run programmes designed to create opportunities for young South Africans to visit the UK for education and professional development, to build links with people like them in the UK; and to engage with the very best of contemporary UK creativity and innovation here in South Africa.
Our work has a strong focus on young people and many of South Africa’s current and future decision-makers and opinion-formers will have been active in British Councils programmes.
What we do
This area of work, with the UK at its heart, seeks to strengthen understanding with South Africans and within different cultures, promote active and constructive participation in society and counter deficits of trust. Our flagship project in this area is InterAction which focuses on leadership skills and empowers individuals to explore opportunities that will lead to new perspectives on Africa.
Projects in this areaA successful knowledge economy is centred on education and skills, governance and regulation, and scientific and creative innovation. The British Council builds international ties that create long-term economic value for the UK’s knowledge economy. At the core of our work is the Connecting Classrooms project which enables dialogue between teachers and learners in South Africa and the UK, by creating and managing school partnerships. Through curriculum based projects, schools are able to develop a more positive attitude towards each other’s countries and cultures and develop leadership skills necessary for successful intercultural dialogue. Dreams + Teams is a programme run in nine provinces and uses sport to develop the leadership and citizenship skills of young leaders and teachers in schools and communities in South Africa and the UK.
Projects in this areaWe work in partnership with South African institutions and organisations to provide UK speakers, public events including discussion and debate of current issues in science, aiming to engage people in dialogue and discussions with scientists, experts and non-experts alike. Our current projects focus on climate change through communication to a wide South African audience through public participation events and exchanges of young scientists between the UK and South Africa. Science is often seen as a subject for intellectuals and academics only.
Projects in this areaWe work in partnership with a range of South African institutions, organisations, venues and festivals to develop an annual series of events – screenings, performances, exhibitions, workshops - showcasing the very best of contemporary UK arts and creative industries. We support some of the best contemporary UK artists to travel to South Africa to give performances or collaborate with local artists.
Visual Arts projectsIf you are looking to explore your interests and gain a world class UK qualification, the British Council gives you access to a wide range of options from educational institutions, to funding and scholarship opportunities in the UK.
Projects in this area
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