BRICS and Regional Industrialisation in Southern Africa: Partner or Spoiler? The Case of China

Abstract

This paper argues that the evolution of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) was marred by the fundamental question of the regional development. Since its inception, the SADC sought development by pursuing different models of industrialisation. The bold move by the SADC to launch an industrialisation strategy begged many questions. Among these lie the lessons the SADC could learn from China as a long-term strategic partner in the liberation struggle against colonialism and apartheid. However, the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS), and particularly China, presents the region with a Janusfaced scenario; while it plays a positive role in constructing a win-win solution in matters of trade, peace and security in its interaction with the region, it also erodes the region’s infant sectors such as textiles. China’s attempts to consult new trading routes, through its famous One Belt One Road, represents a great opportunity for the SADC’s quest for regional integration, development, peace and security.