SA absconds from leadership role in Africa
March 30 2014 at 09:37am
By David Himbara Comment on this story
AP
Rwandan President Paul Kagame. File picture by: Sayyid Azim, File
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David Himbara asks why SA appear to be weak to an inconsequential
aggressor like Rwanda?
South Africa and Rwanda are as different as night and day. South
Africa's population is nearly five times bigger with 52.5 million
people versus Rwanda's 11.4 million. South Africa is Africa's largest
economy with a gross domestic product (GDP) of $384.3 billion (R4.1
trillion) while Rwanda is among the smallest with a GDP of $7.1bn.
South Africa is a multiparty democracy with an independent judiciary
and robust media. Rwanda is an autocratic state in which genuine
opposition and media leaders are either in prison or exile.
South Africa's African policy has been mainly to support continental
institution-building such as the AU and associated organs, including
the New Partnership for Africa's Development and Pan-African
Parliament. Rwanda's has been mainly internal and external aggression.
For example, between 1998 and 2000, Kenya severed diplomatic relations
with Rwanda after Seth Sendashonga, Rwanda's former minister of the
interior, was assassinated in Nairobi.
In 1999 and 2000, Rwanda fought with Uganda inside the Democratic
Republic of Congo after the two belligerents invaded that country
twice – in 1996 and 1998.
Relations between Rwanda and Tanzania nearly broke down last year
after President Jakaya Kikwete suggested Rwanda negotiate with its
opposition groups.
Rwanda's President Paul Kagame responded that he would "hit" Kikwete
at an opportune moment.
This month, South Africa and Rwanda expelled their diplomats in
response to the fourth attempted murder in Joburg of the exiled former
Rwandan army chief of staff Kayumba Nyamwasa. This was after the
murder of exiled former Rwandan intelligence chief Patrick Karegeya in
South Africa on New Year's Day.
Two related questions arise. Why does South Africa with its moral
capital, democratic credentials, size and proven continental
leadership appear to be weak and accommodating to an inconsequential
aggressor like Rwanda?
Why appease a foreign state whose embassy is a war room of assassins
intent on killing refugees on South African soil?
The answers are to be found in the nature of African leadership or, to
be precise, the leadership vacuum at country level and in continental
institutions.
Despite recent democratic gains on the continent, Africa faces an
unenviable situation. African countries are either characterised by
entrenched authoritarian rulers or fragile democracies in which
leaders are preoccupied with domestic agendas. The two realities have
had a devastating impact on the AU and associated institutions.
Thirteen years after replacing the Organisation of African Unity
(OAU), the AU has quietly reverted to being the OAU.
We may recall the infamous clause that rendered the OAU a club of
autocrats, namely, "non-interference in the internal affairs of sister
states" no matter what crime they committed against their own
citizens. Africa is creeping back to that state of affairs.
For example, the extraordinary session of the AU assembly on October
12 resolved that no sitting African head of state shall appear before
any court during their term of office.
The AU resolution sought to protect Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto
whose cases for crimes against humanity were referred to the
International Criminal Court long before the two became Kenyan
president and deputy president respectively in April last year.
Sudan's military strongman Omar al-Bashir, who is indicted for war
crimes in Darfur, is safeguarded by the same AU resolution.
African leaders are, therefore, constructing a fortified wall around
themselves, citing a non-interference clause in another guise.
Within this broad context, African leadership realities become crystal
clear. Continental leadership is a combination of autocrats and heads
of fragile democracies with no one willing to rock the boat.
Thrown to the wind is leadership by principles that showed greater
promise with the launch of the AU in 2002. Appeasement or the yielding
to the demands and behaviour of belligerents is back in. As in the
days of the OAU, conciliatory "African values", even at the expense of
justice or other principles, are becoming the norm.
This is the environment in which aggressors such as Rwanda thrive. As
they push their luck and there is no one to say "don't", they become
more adventurous. The more countries turn a blind eye by hiding behind
appeasement masquerading as "African values" in dealing with the likes
of Rwanda, the more Rwanda engages in what Justice Minister Jeff
Radebe mildly termed "illegal activities".
South Africa is, by any definition, a big political and economic power
in Africa. To quote Voltaire, "with great power comes great
responsibility".
By absconding from its leadership role, South Africa is creating space
for small-time tyrants to create chaos – not only on the continent but
even inside South Africa. Tolerating such behaviour makes a mockery of
what South Africa stands for. South Africa is about constitutionalism,
the rule of law and comradeship with African people, who desperately
seek to domesticate these values in their own countries.
*Himbara is a Rwandan exile and South African permanent resident. He
is a former senior advisor to President Paul Kagame.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent
Newspapers.
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