South Africa's Strategic Role in India - Africa Engagement

Memory is the locker that stores historical moments.

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When Mahatma Gandhi was thrown off a train in Pietermaritzburg in 1893 for the colour of his skin, which sparked a movement that would change the destinies of two nations, from that moment of personal insult, the philosophy of Satyagraha grew, shaping India's freedom struggle and inspiring anti-colonial movements across Africa.

That episode remains the moral bedrock of India-South Africa relations. But as the world turns its gaze to the turbulent Indian Ocean, to the race for critical minerals, and to the complex dance of great power politics, this historic bond is transforming into a hard-edged, future-focused partnership. Today, India and South Africa are no longer just co-travellers in the freedom struggle; they are strategic actors in a multipolar world, bound by geography, economic complementarities, shared democratic values, and an increasingly urgent common agenda.

The Indian Ocean is no longer a peaceful zone of trade — it has become a critical area of geopolitical competition. For India, which considers itself the “net security provider” in the region, the southern Indian Ocean is crucial. For South Africa, situated at the intersection of the busy and delicate Cape Sea lanes, one of the world’s most active trade routes, security in the Indian Ocean is a key concern.

The 9th India-South Africa Joint Defence Committee (JDC) meeting, held in Johannesburg on 23-24 June 2025, marks a quiet but significant shift in New Delhi's African strategy. Two new agreements on submarine cooperation signal that the partnership is no longer limited to historical goodwill — it is evolving into a maritime security compact with real strategic weight.