The South African violence in July '21 was a distressing episode in a nation enjoying friendly relations with India.
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South African violence spreads
- The story: Widespread riots and looting in South Africa left many dead, hurt thousands of businesses and damaged major infrastructure. It was the worst civil unrest since the end of white minority rule in 1994.
- Reasons: The protests began over calls for release of former president Jacob Zuma, who served the country from 2009-18 and is facing corruption charges. Former Cabinet ministers, high-ranking government officials and executives of state-owned enterprises have implicated Jacob Zuma in corruption.
- Many feel that his successor as president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has failed to provide decisive leadership - either to calm anger over Zuma's imprisonment or to reassure South Africans that they will be safe.
- While the violence may have been spurred on by the imprisonment of Jacob Zuma, it’s being fanned by underlying problems in the country amid a raging pandemic and failing economy. In 2020, the country had witnessed its sharpest decline in annual Gross Domestic Product since 1946.
- Unemployment stood at a record high of 32.6% in the first three months of 2021.
- Official response: The government condemned the violence and stated that there was no justification for it. A lot of criminals or opportunistic individuals are trying to enrich themselves during this period. It deployed the army to support the South African police, but the rioting and looting did not stop immediately.
- India- South Africa relations: India’s links with the struggle for freedom and justice in South Africa date back to the period during which Mahatma Gandhi started his Satyagraha movement in South Africa over a century ago. India was at the forefront of the international community in its support to the anti-apartheid movement; it was the first country to sever trade relations with the apartheid Government (in 1946) and subsequently imposed a complete - diplomatic, commercial, cultural and sports - embargo on South Africa. After a gap of four decades, India re-established trade and business ties in 1993, after South Africa ended its institutionalised racial segregation (apartheid). In November 1993, diplomatic and consular relations were restored.
- Political relations: After South Africa achieved democracy in 1994, it was the Red Fort Declaration on Strategic Partnership between India and South Africa, signed in March 1997 which set the parameters for a rekindled relationship. The "Strategic Partnership" between the two countries was again reaffirmed in the Tshwane Declaration (October 2006).
- Both these declarations were instrumental in helping the nations in their respective national objectives.
- India and South Africa have a long history of working together by coordinating their views and efforts in institutions of global governance/multilateral fora, in order to achieve greater autonomy and ensure that the agenda of ‘South’ is prioritised.
- Examples include BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), IBSA (India, Brazil, and South Africa), G20 , Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and World Trade Organisation (WTO).
- Economic relations: India is South Africa’s fifth-largest export destination, and fourth-largest import origin and is the second-largest trading partner in Asia. Both are working to boost trade volumes in the coming years. Bilateral trade between India and South Africa currently stands at USD 10 billion. In 2016 both the countries agreed to collaborate in the defence sector, especially in terms of the opportunities available for South African private sector under ‘Make in India’ initiative, energy sector, agro-processing, human resource development, and infrastructure development.
- Science & technology: The Department of Science and Technology of both countries have collaborated, especially in the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) project.
- Indian community: The major part of the Indian origin community came to South Africa from 1860 onwards as farm labour to serve as field hands and mill operatives in the sugar and other agricultural plantations. South Africa is home to the highest number of Indian Diaspora in the African continent, with a total strength of 1,218,000 thereby constituting 3% of South Africa’s total population. Since 2003 onwards, India has celebrated Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) each year on 9th January (the day Mahatma Gandhi returned from South Africa to India).
- Summary: India-South Africa partnership is progressive and forward looking, and despite search for new partners, this bond should strengthen with time.
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