In a fast changing global order, in which the dominance of the global North is being challenged by the global South, South African foreign policy has been characterised by the Republic 'punching above its weight' and positioning itself as an influential actor on the global stage. However there is no academic consensus on what kind of global actor South Africa is. Is it an emerging, a regional or a middle power? This study will answer this question by using the case of South Africa's two non-permanent terms on the United Nations Security Council (2007/2008 and 2011/2012). It uses middle power theory to examine South Africa's role in the UNSC, the most important forum of global structural power. This will be done through qualitative methods. Knowledge about South Africa's global role will advance the scholarship on South African foreign policy, African international relations and the voting of elected members of the UNSC.