Why is the REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA registered as a corporation?

Why is the REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA registered as a corporation with the Securities Exchange Commission in the USA?

When a friend told me that it was, I told them that I didn’t believe them but he told me to Google REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA CIK#: 0000932419. I did and sure enough there it was, a company registered in that name.

I sent several e mails to the South African Treasury Department and got no response from them. I wanted to alert them that besides copyright infringements, there may be a corporation out there masquerading as representing the Republic of South Africa.

It raised a lot of questions for me.

Why would the Securities Exchange Commission register a company in the name of a sovereign country? Who are the shareholders of this corporation? Who are their representatives?

It boggles the mind that there is a corporation out there trading in the name of the REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA CIK#: 0000932419. There is a opportunity for widespread corruption and fraud if their representatives are not legitimate.