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Southern Africa
Although mostly being used as a term covering a region, the term of
Southern Africa is hard to define. Since the creation and the gradual
enlargement of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)
Southern Africa is being related to this regional association.
The
SADC emerged from the South African Development Coordination Conference
(SADCC), which used to be an association of states such as Angola,
Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Mozambique, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi,
Swaziland and Namibia, standing against the Apartheid Regime of South
Africa. Having overcome political apartheid, South Africa, Mauritius,
the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Seychelles joined the SADC.
The current constellation of the SADC arose from the Windhoek Agreement
of 1992, which transformed the SADCC into the SADC.
The SADC is
a heterogeneous group of countries, whose formation is motivated
geographically as well as historically, ideologically and economically.
This heterogeneity is reflected by the community’s collective projects.
Set economic objectives such as the creation of a common market, the
customs union and a common currency so far have not been realized.
Mainly political objectives, which aim to promote the consolidation of
democracy, recently experienced severe setbacks:
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Within many countries, old liberation movements or independence parties
have taken over political power and since then govern permanently. This
situation furthers a political understanding abetting authoritarianism
and intolerance. Considering the political landscape of Southern Africa,
this region could have become an ideal for African-rooted democracies:
Democracies offering participation and accountability without
threatening a polarization of society. Since they owe binding elements
for society, liberation movements generally have the potential to ease
compromises. Unfortunately, this potential dies on the vine due to the
egoistic behaviour of some elites only pursuing their self-serving
interests.
- Due to colonial dispossession and forced removals, matters on land
within this region (mostly in Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa, Angola
and Mozambique) are of a high and polarizing significance.
- South Africa owes a crucial position within the region and Africa in
general. This offers great opportunities on the one hand, but at the
same time also increases the potential for conflict, a difficult
situation the community needs to handle.
- Since many of the SADC countries concurrently are members of other
associations (East African Community, COMESA, Central African
Development Community), the process of regional integration is further
complicated.
- Furthermore, trade negotiations with the EU impede regional integration
since the countries of Southern Africa are being played off against each
other and the EU intends to control the scope of action of Southern
Africa towards other regions.
Due to limited resources, KASA cannot cover the whole of Southern
Africa. KASA’s main focus lays on South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia and
Zambia. On occasion there are interfaces with other countries of the
region, as with Botswana or the Democratic Republic of the Congo, above
all when working on resource related issues. |
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