SA/India partnership is win-win

MOST South Africans probably don’t realise the crucial role India played in the international campaign against apartheid. It was way back in the 1950s – when many other powerful countries were either collaborating with the white supremacists or at the very least turning a blind eye to their atrocities – that the government of India decided to sever all diplomatic ties with the old Union of South Africa.

It later went on to impose a total embargo on apartheid South Africa and was at the forefront of efforts to place the issue of apartheid on the agenda of the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement.

This historical perspective is important in understanding the relevance of the high-level business summit by India and South Africa in Joburg this week, which brought together stakeholders from the two Brics partners as well as representatives from the Southern African Development Community.

The summit marks 25 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries and has enormous potential to strengthen ties and encourage mutually-beneficial business partnerships.

For South Africa, it could not have come at a more opportune time.

With embattled former president Jacob Zuma now out of power, many South Africans have put their faith in Cyril Ramaphosa reviving the country’s economy and bringing stability to what was once regarded as one of the world’s top performing emerging markets.

This “new dawn” has been enthusiastically received internally and has inspired confidence among global investors, especially after Ramaphosa’s tough talk on ridding the country of corruption and his announcement of an international investment drive to attract $100 billion (over a trillion rand) to establish new industries and create jobs.

It therefore makes good economic sense for South Africa to strengthen its ties with its fellow Bric’s member – a country which is rated one of the most popular destinations for foreign direct investment in the world.

But quite apart from the economic benefits, SA and India have long enjoyed a special relationship through historical and cultural ties. India’s independence leader, Mahatma Gandhi, spent 21 years of his early life here and many visitors from the sub-continent continue to visit our country to retrace Gandhi’s experiences here in the 1890s and 1900s.

Also significant is the fact that South Africa is home to over 1.2 million citizens of Indian origin, most of whose ancestors arrived here as indentured labourers over 150 years ago.

It is clearly a win-win opportunity for both countries.