India’s destiny has been fettered to that of South Africa, with the shared ideal of an anti-apartheid society. With Madiba’s death, the existing liaisons and their impending future have come under the spotlight, and the two countries have become the cynosure of all eyes. The multidimensional involvement of India in South Africa’s evolution, and the latter’s reciprocation of it through diverse channels has always been a formidable phenomenon, and is only expected to grow by leaps and bounds. Stronger economic co-operation along with an upswing in the myriad healthcare and pharmaceutical ventures spell a profitable collaboration for both countries.

Current Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and his South African counterpart, Jacob Zuma, forecast that India and South Africa will economically flourish further. Former Indian President PratibhaPatil showed unequivocal confidence in attaining the ambitious objective of the two nations successfully reaching the previous trade target of USD 10 billion by 2012; corroborating a similar vision of achieving a trade target of USD 15 billion by 2015, the present leaders of the two states predict exponential growth in the industrial, manufacturing and energy sectors.  The repertoire of prominent Indian companies investing in South Africa includes the likes of Mahindra, Ashok Leyland,Bank of Baroda, Godrej, Marico, Apollo Tyresand CiplaMedpro, amongst umpteen other companies, with wide-ranging profiles. In the post-Mandela regime, the South African government is also keen to involve India in its ambitious infrastructure development plan.

The alliance extends beyond the conjoint initiative for liberation, and traditional boundaries of monetary treatises, company investments and financial transactions.  India and South Africa have strikingly similar objectives, be it business or cultural desideratum. The littoral countries joined hands and formed the IBSA Dialogue Forum after the G8 summit that encourages dynamic tripartite development in diverse spheres of agriculture, technology, poverty issues and similar matters of grave concern, such as health-care and nuclear energy policies. The Indian entertainment sector has always enjoyed immense popularity in South Africa, with the latter offering their exotic landscapes for shooting movies. South Africa looks forward to making film-making a more memorable experience for the Indian industry.

Jacob Zuma’s era promises to carry forward the legacy of Mandela’s dominion, extending more opportunities for establishing a stronger relationship between our countries. South African Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies considers the current bilateral trade target to be a very attainable one; simultaneously the focus is also directed towardskey areas of science, technology and education. Cultural exchange programs, maritime co-operation and increasing participation in peacekeeping operationsare just some of the trajectories that would be followed.There is hope that India would be able to aid the development of more small-scale companies, fostering excellent economic ties in South Africa.

Post the declaration of the ‘strategic partnership’ in 1993, India has maintained its position in the South African trade circuit as one of the largest investors. The future entails many fruitful co-operation agreements, escalating interest in other business verticals, establishing Information Technology firms and companies, and mutually beneficial associations. The symbiosis between the India and South Africa is expected to become more powerful and precious under Jacob Zuma’s regime, and the future seems to be brighter than ever before.

Source : Lokesh Shastri