Could India turn out to be SA’s best global partner?
China and Russia are merely out to lay their hands on Africa’s resources, but the sub-continent nation seems interested in mutual development
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s prospective alignment with India looks interesting, not least because it might help us manage our global partnerships better. The past years revealed the Brics grouping for what it was — not a community involving Brazil, Russia, India China and SA, but an opportunity for greater powers to compete for access to the natural resources of the smaller. Russia had its chance, and the nuclear deal’s cost implies they didn’t have our interests at heart. Then came China with its lending for infrastructure, but its Belt and Road Initiative is drawing criticism from around the globe and from the Paris Club lenders for allegedly pulling partner countries deep into debt. Now it’s India’s turn to woo us — but this seems a different deal, at least in geopolitical terms. SA has two alignment options, reflecting the current global scramble for power: the US and China. We don’t have much to learn from either because they’re in higher states of development. Economically, th...
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