Washington tells Pretoria how to ‘play the game’ in Africa
Protesters greet Obama, June 28, 2013
President Barack Obama's trip to South Africa this weekend may have the desired effect of slowing the geopolitical realignment of Pretoria to the Brazil-India-Russia-China-SA (BRICS) axis. That shift did not necessarily mean a deviation from the local leaders' political philosophy, best understood as "Talk Left, Walk Right," which mixes anti-imperialist rhetoric with hard-nosed pro-corporate economic policies.
But it did reflect concerns expressed on Tuesday by Ben Rhodes, a White House deputy national security adviser: "What we hear from our businesses is that they want to get in the game in Africa. There are other countries getting in the game in Africa - China, Brazil, Turkey. And if the US is not leading in Africa, we're going to fall behind in a very important region of the world."
President Jacob Zuma's government, like that of his predecessor Thabo Mbeki, has presented South Africa as the "gateway" to the continent. Two major political victories - hosting the BRICS summit in Durban three months ago and ensuring that a Pretoria diplomat, Zuma's former wife Nkozozana Dlamini-Zuma, won the leadership of the African Union last year - were accompanied by Johannesburg's renewed status as Africa's largest foreign investor within the continent.
Is Pretoria ready to ditch its traditional sub-imperial "deputy sheriff" role to Washington's imperial sheriff, and instead to look east? Obama knows well that some of Pretoria's neoliberal coordination activities have been fumbled.
For example, George W Bush's State Department labelled Mbeki's 2001 New Partnership for Africa's
Development "philosophically spot-on", and yet there was precious little to show for the subsequent dozen years of appeals for Western foreign investment and increased aid. Even funding for AIDS medicines was chopped in austerity budgets, such as Obama's recent $200m cut to Bush's PEPFAR programme, which closed the three main hospital-based AIDS programmes here in Durban, the city with the world's highest number of HIV+ residents.
Obama also reportedly intensified Bush's Africa Command (AFRICOM) military support to the continent's dictators, and Edward Snowden's whistle-blowing regarding internet snooping recalled WikiLeaks revelations from state department cables during Hillary Clinton's reign. In 2009, while helping prepare Obama's speech about good governance in Accra, Clinton asked eleven of Washington's embassies in Africa to collect fingerprints, DNA, iris scans, email passwords, credit card account numbers, frequent flyer account numbers and work schedules of local political, military, business and religious leaders, including United Nations officials.
Since then, Obama has been criticised for military intervention in oil-soaked Libya and AFRICOM's fight against teh al-Shabaab armed group in Somalia, for alleged mercenary support and reported torture-rendition activities in several African countries, and for deployment of drones and US troops in authoritarian Uganda.
Zuma may be too diplomatic to have raised these matters in Pretoria on Saturday morning, because he needs to project strength after his own foreign-policy failings came to light. In the Central African Republic in March, just three days before the BRICS gathered, a firefight with the Chad-backed Seleka rebel movement left 13 South African army troops dead. They were defending not only the person dubbed by many the resident tyrant, François Bozizé, but also Johannesburg businesses, including some with crucial links to leaders of the ruling African National Congress (ANC).
With the hero of most South Africans, Nelson Mandela, near death, the degenerate state of the ANC is an enormous tragedy. Zuma's own family and close friends have gained countless crony-capitalist benefits from a patronage-obsessed state apparatus. Mentioning "Number One" [Zuma] reportedly gave his pals, the Gupta family, sufficient clout to use the Waterkloof airforce base for a wedding party's jet landing from India last month, to our society's great shame.
The president's notorious nephew Khulubuse Zuma recently wrecked a major Johannesburg mining house, Aurora, with vast collateral damage to thousands of workers and the natural environment. He then shifted to the oil business in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where another 1,350 South African troops were recently deployed. Their mission was to "babysit" ,according to Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula last month - a description that belies the danger should it eventually be revealed that their deployment was to run interference for corporate mining houses against the allegedly Rwandan-backed M23 guerrillas.
Since the DRC is within the Southern African Development Community, Zuma probably feels that this mineral-rich terrain is Pretoria's "backyard" - certainly moreso than it could be US, French or Belgian neo-colonial territory. That means tensions will inexorably rise between the competing mineral extraction strategies of Western multinational mining houses and oil companies, Chinese state firms, Zuma's crony-capitalists and the formerly Johannesburg-based corporates such as Anglo American - now financially headquartered in London - which have the most extraction experience.
Terrible conflagrations will probably continue in Central Africa; in the resource-cursed Great Lakes region a conservatively estimated five million people have died as a result of conflict and disease since the mid-1990s. Responding appropriately will require mobilisation of anti-war consciousness and activism in South Africa just as much as it will in other source-sites of African conflict, including within the US.
Encouragingly, a small anti-imperialist movement has emerged here, announcing three protests against Barack Obama - in Pretoria on Friday, Soweto on Saturday and Cape Town on Sunday - especially because of ongoing US meddling in the Middle East, what with Palestinians under the thumb of an Israeli occupation largely approved and subsidised by Washington.
Several other grievances were expressed by hundreds who marched to the US embassy in Pretoria, and hundreds more who objected to an honorary doctorate granted to Obama by the University of Johannesburg. Issues raised included the Cuban Five's imprisonment in Miami and the US blockade of Cuba, the torture chamber of Guantanamo Bay, warmongering in Syria, AFRICOM, support for Israeli apartheid, the kangaroo court trial of Bradley Manning, email and phone call snooping, AIDS medicine cutbacks, Obama's reported close ties with African dictators, Washington's ongoing structural adjustment philosophy and the neoliberal "Africa Growth and Opportunity Act" conditions.
With both Obama and Zuma on the back foot, this is an ideal moment for a new solidarity movement to make its case.
Patrick Bond directs the Centre for Civil Society at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban.
Ukuvakashela kukaObama eNingizimu Afrika kunika ithuba kwizakhamizi ukuthi zikwazi ukuzwakalisa uvo lwazo.
By Patrick Bond Yahunyushwa nguFaith ka-Manzi
Ukuhambela kukaMongameli uBarack Obama eNingizimu Afrika kulempelasonto kungase kwenzeke ukuthi kube noshintsho kubidlelwano bamazwe ayingxenye yeBRICS.
Lokho ngeke kuchaze ukushintsha komqondo wezabombusazwe balapha, okuqondakala kahle “njengokukhulumela intando yeningi kodwa benze okuvuna ongxiwankulu,”:, okumbandakanya izinkulumo ezimelelene nokusabalaliswa kwemibuso yabo kwamanye amazwe kodwa bebe bexhasa imigomo evuna ongxiwankulu. Kodwa khona kwakhombisa ukuxwaya ngoLwesibili njengokusho kukaBen Rhodes, oyisekela lombonisi wezokuvikela eWhite House: “Esikuzwayo kubaphathi bezimboni zethu ukuthi nabo bafuna ukuhlanganyela ekuhwebeni eAfrica njengeChina, neBrazil kanye neTurkey. Futhi umangabe iMelika ingaholi eAfrika, sizoba semuva ezwenikazi elibalulekile kakhulu emhlabeni.”
Uhulumeni kaMongmeli uJacob Zuma, njengalona owayephethe ngaphambi kwakhe uThabo Mbeki, ubeke iNingizimu Afrika “njengesango” lokungenelela kulelizwekazi. Imiphumela emibili emikhulu yezombusazwe yile – ukuphatha kweNingizimu Afrika ingqungquthela yeBrics eThekwini ezinyangeni ezintathu ezedlule kanye nokuqinisekisa ukuthi omunye wezombusazwe wasePitoli owayeshade noZuma uNokosazana Dlamini Zuma waphumelela okhethweni lokuhola iAfrican Union ngonyaka odlule –futhi okwakuphelezelwa ukuthi idolobha laseGoli selubuyelwe isithunzi seqhaza lalo njengomtshali omkhuli wezimali kulelizwekazi.
Ngabe iPitoli isizimisele ukulaxaza indima ekade yaqala ukuyidlala njengomqaphi wezokusabaliswa kweminye imibuso kwamanye amazwe iyinike iMelika, bese kuthi esikhundleni ibheke kwelasempuamalanga? UObama wazi kahle kamhlophe ukuthi yemikhuba yobungxiwankulu yasePitoli ivele yangaphumelela. Ngokwesibonelo-nje, uMnyango Wezwe ngombuso kaGeorg W Bush wabiza “iNew Partnership for Africa’s Development” kaMbeki yango2001 nejongekuyiyona emchazile, kodwa kuncane kabi okwakhombisa eminyakeni elandelayo ngenkathi kunxenxwa amazwe aseNtshonalanga ukuthi atshale izimali nokuthi andise usizo oluza kulelizwekazi. Ngisho nokuxhaswa ngezimali kwemishanguzo yengculaza okwehliswe kungekudala-nje ngu-Obama kuka$200 wezigidigidi wohlelo lwePEPFAR lukaBush, okwavala izibhedlela ezintathu ezibhekelele kakhulu izinhlelo zokwelapha ingculaza lapha eThekwini, idolobha elinabantu abaningi mhlabeni wonke abaphila negciwane lengculaza.
UObama futhi ubuye wanyusa isibalo seBush's Africa Command (AFRICOM) yoxhaso lombutho wezempi ukuvikela ababusi ababusa ngendlovuyangena kulelizwekazi, futhi ukwenekela izwe kukaEdwadr Snowden mayelana nokushintshana ngezingxoxo kwi-internet ngesikhathi kusabusa uHilary Clinton. Ngo2009, ngesikhathi esiza uObama elungiselela inkulumo yakhe ngokubusa kahle eAccra, uClinton wabuza amanxusa asezweni laseMelika asemazweni ayishumi nanye eAfrika ukuthi aqophe ulibo lweminwe, ulibofuzo, ulibo lwamehlo, amagama eyizimfihlo okungena eposini lwe-email. Izinombolo zakhadi asemabhange, kanye nezinhlelo zokusebenza kwabaholi balawomazwe bezombusazwe, bezenkolo, bezombutho wempi kanye nabahwebi, okumbandakanya nezikhulu zeNhlangano Yezizwe. Kusukela ngalesosikhathi, uOmaba usegxekwe ngokungenelela ngombutho wezempi ezingxakini zezwe laseLibya elinamafutha kanye nempi yeAFRICOM imelene neqembu elihlomile ial-Shabaab eSomalia, ugxekelwa ukuxhaswa amavukela mbuso kanye nokuhlukumeza emazweni ambalwa aseAfrika, kanye futhi nokubuye asabalalise amabutho aseMelika ezweni elibusa ngesihluku laseUganda.
UZuma kungase angabinakho lobubuchwepheshwe kwezombusazwe ukuthi aphakamise lezizimo ePitoli ngoMgqibelo ekuseni, ngenxa youthi udinga ukuziveza enamandla ngenkathi imigomo yakhe nmayelana nobudlwelwane namazwe angaphandle ikhombisa ukungaphumeleli. Ngenyanga kaMashi eCentral African Republic, ezinsukwini ezintathu ngaphambi kokuthi kuqale ingqungqthela yeBRICS, kwabheduka impi nezidlambevu zempi exhaswe iChad kaSeleka yezishoshovu lapho kwafa khona amabutho ayishumi nantathu. Ayengavikeli-nje kuphela umhlali owaziwa ngabaningi njengendlovukayiphikiswa,uFrançois Bozizé, kodwa nezimboni zaseGoli, ezinye zazo ezinobudlelwano obubalulekile kakhulu nabaholi beqembu elibusayo uKhongolose.
Njengoba iqhawe labaningi kwizakhamizi zaseNingizimu Afrika, uNelson Mandela, eseseduze nokufa, ukuhlaphazeka kukaKhongolose kuyishwa elikhulu. Umndeni kaZuma uqobo kanye nabangani asondelene kakhulu nabo sebezuze okuningi kulombuso wobubhululu nongxiwankulu. Ukukhulu ma-nje “ngoNombolo One” [uZuma] lokho kwenza abangani bakhe, umndeni wakwaGupta, iqholo elanele ukuthi libeke indiza yabo eyayisuka e-India ize emshadweni esikhumulweni sezindiza ombutho wezempi eWaterkloof ngenyanga edlule, lokhu okwaduma kakhulu isizwe sonke. Umshana kamongameli odume kabi kakhulu uKhulubuse Zuma maduzane-nje usanda kucekela phansi imboni enkulu yendlu yezokumbiwa phansi yaseGoli , iAurora, okwalimaza izinkulungwane zabasebenzi kanye nezemvelo. Wasuka lapho amabombo wawabhekisa kwimboni yamafutha empumalanga neDemocratic Republic of the Congo, lapho futhi amabutho angu 1,350 aseNingizimu Afrika asanda kuthunyelwa khona. Umsebenzi walabe zombutho wempi ukuyohlalisa, ngokusho kukaNgqongqshoe Wezokuvikela kuleli uNosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula ngenyanga edlule – incazelo engakhombisi ingozi yokuthi mhla kwavela ukuthi ukuhanjiswa kwalamabutho eDRC ukuthi alahambisane kanye nezimboni zezokumbiwa phansi ebhekene nezivukela mbuso zakhona iM23 exhaswe iRwanda.
Njengoba-ke iDRC iyingxenye yeSouthern African Development Community,u Zuma kusho ukuthi ucabanga ukuthi lendawo ecebe kakhulu ngezokumbiwa phansi “ïyindawo yokudlalela” iPitoli – ikakhulukazi ngoba kungase kube yindawo engathathwa kabusha iMelika, iFrance noma iBelgium. Okusho ukuthi ukudonsisana kuzoqhubeka kukhule phakathi kwezindlela zokumbiwa phansi yizimboni zasemazweni aseNtshonalanga, izimboni zaseChina, ongxiwankulu bakaZuma kanye nezimboni ebezikade zizinze eGoli njenge-Anglo American – manje esizinze eNgilandi –enolwazi olukhulu ngezokumbiwa phansi.
Imililo evutha ubuhanguhangu kusho ukuthi iyoqhubeka eCentral Africa; kulelizwe elibusiswe ngemikhiqizo yokumbiwa phansi kodwa manje eseyisiqalekiso yaseGreat Lakes lapho cishe sekufe khona abantu ababalelwa ezigidini ezinhlanu ngenxa yekungasimami kwezombuso kanye nezifo kusukela maphakathi neminyaka yama1990.Ukubhekana kahle nalokhu kungadinga ukuhlanganisa ukubhekelela ukumelana nempi kanye nobushoshovu eNingizimu Afrika njengoba kwenzeka kwamanye amazwe aseAfrika nawo anezingxaki, ikakhulukazi okubandakanya iMelika.
Okugqugquzelayo, sekuqhamuke iqembu elincane lapha elimelene nokusabalaliswa kweminibuso yamanye amazwe phezu kwamanye, libika ukuthi kuzoba nokubhikishela uBarack Obama ePitolo ngoLwesihlanu, eSoweto ngoMgqibelo kanye naseKapa ngeSonto – ikakhulukazi ngenxa yokuqhubeka kokugxambukela kweMelika eMiddle East, ikakhulukazi njengoba iPalestine ingaphansi kwengcindezi yokubuswa izwe lakwaIsrael okuvunyelwa kkakhulu nokuxhaswa ngezimali iWashington. Ezinye izikhalo zashiwo ngabaningi amamashela inxusa laseMelika ePitoli, kanye namakhulu amanye aphikisa ukunikwa kwejazi lezobudokotela kukaObama yisikhungo semfundo ephakeme iUniversity of Johannesburg.
Izikhalo okwakukhalwa ngazo kwakumbandakanya ukuboshwa kwezakhamizi Eziyisihlanu zaseCuba eMiami kanye nokuvimbela iCuba ivinjwa iMelika, ukuthethwa kwecala ngaphandle kwasenkantolo likaBradley Manning, indawo lapho kuhlukunyezwa khona iziboshwa eGuantanamo Bay, ukuphehla impi eSyria, ukuqapha amaemail nezingcingo zabantu, iAFRICOM, ukuxhasa ubandlululo lwaseIsrael, ukwehliswa kwemali yemishanguzo yengculaza, ukusondelana kakhulu kukaObama nababusi baseAfrika ababusa ngendlovuyangena kanye nokunye. Njengoba ubudlelwano buka Obama noZuma sebuqalwa kabusha futhi, isona-ke lesi isikhathi sokuthi kube khona inhlangano entsha yomzabalazo ekufanele ibike udaba lwayo.
UPatrick Bond ungumqondisi waseCentre for Civil Society esikhungweni semfundo ephakeme eUniversity of KwaZulu-Natal eThekwini.