Living up to expectations: Canada and South Africa in the era of the Global Markets Action Plan

Abstract

South Africa was identified as the only “emerging market with broad Canadian interests” in Africa under the Harper Government's Global Markets Action Plan (GMAP). Yet the story of Canada's post-apartheid relationship with South Africa has been mostly one of unfulfilled possibilities. This leads to questions about the viability of the GMAP strategy, at least in this case. We seek to explain the growing divergence between these two states, and consider potential foundations for renewing the relationship. By applying Cox and Jordaan's framework for analysis, we consider how these two types of middle powers have drifted apart, and how they might (re)forge a relationship that is mutually beneficial and builds on a complex and contradictory history of cooperation. Only through a concerted and broadly based Canadian effort to re-engage South Africa and South Africans can the aspirations embedded in the GMAP become a plausible prospect.

Résumé

L'Afrique du Sud a été identifiée comme le seul « marché émergent reflétant la vaste gamme des intérêts canadiens » dans le cadre du Plan d'action sur les marchés mondiaux (PAMM) du gouvernement Harper. Pourtant l'histoire des relations post apartheid du Canada avec l'Afrique du Sud a été principalement celle de possibilités inexploitées. Cela soulève des questions sur la viabilité de la stratégie du PAMM, au moins dans ce cas. Nous cherchons à expliquer les divergences grandissantes entre ces deux États, en prenant en considération les bases potentielles d'une rénovation de leurs relations. En utilisant le cadre d'analyse de Robert Cox (1989) et de Eduard Jordan (2003), nous examinons comment ces deux puissances intermédiaires se sont éloignées l'une de l'autre, et comment elles pourraient (re)fonder une relation qui leur soit mutuellement bénéfique et se base sur une histoire de coopération complexe et contradictoire. C'est seulement à travers une approche canadienne concertée et équitable pour renouer le dialogue avec l'Afrique du Sud et les Sud-Africains que les aspirations du PAMM pourront devenir un scénario plausible.

Keywords:

• Canada
• South Africa
• GMAP
• middle powers
• multilateralism
• commonwealth

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Heather McKeen-Edwards, Audie Klotz, Laura Macdonald and Jeremy Paltiel for their helpful comments and suggestions during the revision process.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. In 2013, for example, Governor General David Johnston visited South Africa as part of an effort to signal the renewal of high-level interest by the Canadian government in the bilateral relationship. However, this signal was overshadowed by the South African government's decision to rescind its offer for the governor general to address Parliament, with a South African official supposedly noting that such “an honour is reserved for true friends of South Africa.”

2. Including a refusal to support armed struggle and a wary relationship with the ANC – discussed further below.

3. In a highly simplified description of a complex concept, the draft South African foreign policy White Paper of 2011 defines Ubuntu as meaning “‘humanity’ (as) reflected in the idea that we affirm our humanity when we affirm the humanity of others.”

4. The defeat was historic because it was the first time since the 1940s that Canada had not won election to the Security Council once per decade.

5. Indeed, the pursuit of enhanced growth through expanded trade and investment is a shared priority, as reflected in President Jacob Zuma's 31 August 2014 (Zuma 2014) address to South African Heads of Mission: “Given that the economy is an apex priority, it follows that our heads of mission should prepare themselves for vigorous marketing and trade promotion over the next five years.” http://www.dfa.gov.za/docs/speeches/2014/jzum0831.html

6. According to the 2013 United Nations Development Programme Human Development Index, for example, Canada ranked eighth and South Africa 118th.

7. Alongside, it should be acknowledged, the obvious potential for competition and rivalry.

8. In higher education, for example, a number of universities in Canada and South Africa maintain ongoing links, including the University of Pretoria and the Munk Centre for Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, which undertake collaborative research and seminars on issues pertaining to global governance and summitry, and the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and Ryerson University, which have launched a strategic relationship centered around digital innovation and have developed student-led “digital media zones.”