Providing security for citizens is the critical pillar for the existence of a sovereign state or nation state. This is a norm of any societies or nations throughout the world. Without security, there can be no freedom, no stability, and no prosperity. In parallel, the global order is changing. New centres of power are emerging and the world in the 21st century is becoming a multipolar world. Threats to global security are increasing including human-induced climate change that continues to pose a threat to global livelihoods and further impacts on the stability of many countries in the different regions.

Geopolitical contestation between states remains a dominant consideration in global security dynamics. As the modern world is undergoing a period of transformation, there is amongst many, an increase in the number of centres of world economic and political domains; the strengthening of the positions of new global and regional countries leading to changes in the security structure of the world order; the formation of new architectures of rules and principles of the world order.

For South Africa, almost three decades after our freedom was attained in 1994, the main project of our democratic dispensation remains to be ensuring a better life for all our citizens of our country. To achieve this, we see the state as an instrument of transformation and development to change and improve the lives of our citizens. In building the nation, the state seeks to shape and strengthen national identity; cultivate national pride and patriotism; address the injustices of the past, particularly the race and gender-based injustices; bridge the divides in our society to ensure social cohesion and stability; and grow the economy to promote the development and upliftment of our citizens.

Report by State Security