WHY INDIA-SOUTH AFRICA BOND MATTERS

In 2020, South African Indians will be celebrating 160 years of transitioning from bondage to freedom.

- CHRISTOPHER EDYEGU

That is a very important milestone in the history of both South Africa and India. It is also important to keep in mind that India and South Africa are seen as natural allies. That is exemplified through “their independent struggles from colonialism and the anti-apartheid liberation respectively, the pursuit of non-alignment, and the battle for a reformed, just, equitable, and inclusive global system that consolidates South-South Cooperation and reflects the current structures of political and economic power”. Their common interests and actions of solidarity make both countries strategic normative actors in the 21st century, notwithstanding the historical lines of complementary. Both India and South Africa have iconic human rights and social justice giants in the form of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, who became South Africa’s symbol of political transition from apartheid to democracy.

In addition to the above features, and after 1994, bilateral relations between both nations were strengthened. That is reflected in the formation of the Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) with the objective of forging mutual and beneficial cooperation in the areas of “politics, trade and investment; communications and information technology; minerals and energy; arts, culture, sports and recreation; human resource development; and consular and immigration matters.” Furthermore, at the 2015 9th JMC meeting, it was upgraded to deal with several priority areas which include, “defence, deep mining, science and technology, agriculture and food processing, and insurance. ” These areas of collaboration show that India and South Africa have deep ties, and it is, therefore, important to understand why those bilateral bonds matter. There are several reasons, but this article will focus on historical and cultural reasons, economic reasons and global leadership ambitions.