A partner in Africa? Canada and post‐apartheid South Africa
Before the apartheid‐induced imposition of sanctions beginning in the 1960s, Canada's ties with South Africa were closer and more complex than with any other nation on the African continent. William Dobell looks at the renewal of relations in the post‐apartheid era to determine whether South Africa has once again come to occupy the position of Canada's primary partner on the continent. The resumption of political, economic and cultural interchange has indeed fostered closer links between the two countries than those between Canada and other African nations, he notes, but this may have more to do with the weakness of Canadian ties to Africa than with the strength and vitality of its burgeoning relations with the new regime. Dobell examines the factors which may hinder or enhance the development of the ties that do exist and what benefits there may be for both nations in the pursuit of closer relations.
Still South Africa’s Hostages? The BLS States in a Changing Southern Africa
Changes in South Africa since F. W. de Klerk replaced P. W. Botha as South Africa’s State President in September 1989 promise to relieve a number of the problems of Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland — states so thoroughly dwarfed by and dependent upon their neighbour, South Africa, as they approached independence, that they could with justice be referred to as “South Africa’s Hostages”.2 However, the possibility exists that some of the problems may linger regardless of what sort of regime eventually replaces the present Nationalist Party government of South Africa. This chapter, taking Halpern’s evocative 1965 title as its point of departure, explores what changes during the last several years in South Africa may mean for the three states which are often referred to collectively as the “BLS States”.
Recent Trends and Prospects of Black Migration to South Africa
Migrant labour from external sources has been exploited by South Africa during the past century for obvious economic reasons: it is cheap, easily available, and largely controllable. Short-run fluctuations may arise for a variety of reasons, but in the long run, as W. G. Martin has attempted to demonstrate, demand patterns for foreign migrant workers, particularly on the mines, have generally reflected prevailing economic conditions.1. Events over the past decade or so have, however, made it difficult to distinguish between the effects of economic and political influences which have so dramatically altered the face of migration in Southern Africa.