South Africa’s comparative advantage within BRICS pertains to the country’s considerable non-energy in situ mineral wealth. In a recent report commissioned by the US-based Citigroup bank, South Africa was ranked as the world’s richest country in terms of its mineral reserves, worth an estimated US$2,5 trillion. South Africa is the world’s largest producer of platinum, chrome, vanadium and manganese, the third-largest gold-miner, and offers highly sophisticated mining-related professional services, contributing significantly to the BRICS resource pool.