South Africa joined the BRICS in 2011, two years after the establishment of this group. This step was consonant with themain principles of the country’s foreign policy expressed by its first democratic government. South Africa regarded the groupas an association of like-minded independent countries, a political and moral force for changing the world. However, byadmitting a leading African country, the four first members of the BRICS wanted to overcome the geographical divide andinclude a country that enjoys a high moral authority and plays important role in peacekeeping and mediating conflicts.Through the BRICS, South Africa wanted to achieve various goals: addressing poverty, inequality and job creation at home;gaining synergic support from BRICS partners to Africa; and obtaining increased support for the reform of internationalfinancial institutions and the United Nations. This article analyzes to what extent those plans have been realized during thefirst four years of South Africa’s membership in the BRICS and concludes that, all in all, South Africa is the last but not theleast member.