Mmusi Maimane on last night warned of “the dangers in choosing your geopolitical friends based on post-colonial history”.
The Democratic Alliance leader‚ delivering the Royal African Society’s annual lecture in London‚ said “it is imperative that Africa finds its geopolitical space‚ and that this truly serves the respective national interests of its states and the continent”.
Maimane described the African National Congress’(ANC) proposed foreign policy direction as “regressing back to a Cold War polarisation of east vs west”.
“This clumsy attempt to malign the west and align with the east doesn’t appear to fit in 2015‚ but one must understand the underlying post-colonial history of African nations to make some sense of it‚” he said.
“For many African leaders‚ it is easier to turn to a country such as China or Russia – in spite of their questionable human rights records or their flailing economies – than it is to trust their former colonisers.
“The problem‚ however‚ is that there is seldom reciprocity in these relationships. In South Africa‚ we know only too well what happens when you tie your fate too closely to a country such as China. Even before their currency devaluation dragged our own currency down‚ they virtually destroyed our steel industry by dumping their cheap steel there.”
Maimane also warned against imperilling trade relationships with the Economic Union – “our biggest trading partner” – and American markets through AGOA (African Growth and Opportunity Act) “by re-enacting some decades-old geopolitical polarisation justified by a sense of struggle loyalty”.
“South Africa‚ and the rest of Africa‚ must define their national interests by what is truly beneficial to their people. What promotes the growth‚ the development and the stability of the country? And when choosing partners to help achieve these goals‚ it doesn’t have to be an either/or situation. Africa can work with both the west and the east.
Maimane acknowledged that “following brutal centuries of colonisation‚ war‚ famine‚ poverty and exploitation‚ Africa has paid a heavy price”.
“But at the same time‚ Africa has a brilliant story to tell. It’s a story of growth and potential‚ of resilience and ingenuity‚ and it is a story that gets overlooked far too often.”
He cited Botswana as having the “fastest GDP growth in the world over the past half-century”‚ whereas‚ at the time of independence it :had one of the lowest per-capita incomes in the world”.
“But after enjoying the longest economic boom in Africa – including an average growth of 9% per year from 1966 to 1999 – it is now considered a middle-income country.
“And Botswana is not alone. Six of the world’s 10 fastest growing economies over the past decade are in Africa‚ and a dozen African economies have been growing at over 6% per annum for several years now.”
“This is the story of Africa that we should be telling. That despite our massive challenges‚ it is a continent of enormous hope and potential.”
Maimane: ANC’s attempt to malign west and align with the east ‘clumsy’
The Democratic Alliance leader‚ delivering the Royal African Society’s annual lecture in London‚ said “it is imperative that Africa finds its geopolitical space‚ and that this truly serves the respective national interests of its states and the continent”.
Maimane described the African National Congress’(ANC) proposed foreign policy direction as “regressing back to a Cold War polarisation of east vs west”.
“This clumsy attempt to malign the west and align with the east doesn’t appear to fit in 2015‚ but one must understand the underlying post-colonial history of African nations to make some sense of it‚” he said.
“For many African leaders‚ it is easier to turn to a country such as China or Russia – in spite of their questionable human rights records or their flailing economies – than it is to trust their former colonisers.
“The problem‚ however‚ is that there is seldom reciprocity in these relationships. In South Africa‚ we know only too well what happens when you tie your fate too closely to a country such as China. Even before their currency devaluation dragged our own currency down‚ they virtually destroyed our steel industry by dumping their cheap steel there.”
Maimane also warned against imperilling trade relationships with the Economic Union – “our biggest trading partner” – and American markets through AGOA (African Growth and Opportunity Act) “by re-enacting some decades-old geopolitical polarisation justified by a sense of struggle loyalty”.
“South Africa‚ and the rest of Africa‚ must define their national interests by what is truly beneficial to their people. What promotes the growth‚ the development and the stability of the country? And when choosing partners to help achieve these goals‚ it doesn’t have to be an either/or situation. Africa can work with both the west and the east.
Maimane acknowledged that “following brutal centuries of colonisation‚ war‚ famine‚ poverty and exploitation‚ Africa has paid a heavy price”.
“But at the same time‚ Africa has a brilliant story to tell. It’s a story of growth and potential‚ of resilience and ingenuity‚ and it is a story that gets overlooked far too often.”
He cited Botswana as having the “fastest GDP growth in the world over the past half-century”‚ whereas‚ at the time of independence it :had one of the lowest per-capita incomes in the world”.
“But after enjoying the longest economic boom in Africa – including an average growth of 9% per year from 1966 to 1999 – it is now considered a middle-income country.
“And Botswana is not alone. Six of the world’s 10 fastest growing economies over the past decade are in Africa‚ and a dozen African economies have been growing at over 6% per annum for several years now.”
“This is the story of Africa that we should be telling. That despite our massive challenges‚ it is a continent of enormous hope and potential.”
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