A Certain Contradiction

As Chancellor Merkel announced in Johannesburg, Berlin will continue to support the South African government in its preparations for the soccer World Cup, "wherever possible".[1] South Africa had originally already applied for hosting the 2006 World Cup and was long considered the most promising candidate, until the German SPD/Green government coalition exerted enough pressure for Germany to win the decisive vote in 2000, leaving Pretoria to host the 2010 cup. Since then, Berlin has declared it's willingness to share its "experience" in implementing such an major event with South Africa. But this so-called support will mostly be benefiting German businessmen and political strategists, in whose plans South Africa is accorded a prominent position.

Key Role

For German enterprises, South Africa is by far, the most important African business partner south of the Sahara. More than 500 German enterprises hold majority shares in joint ventures and have invested 4, 2 billion Euros in the country. The bilateral trade volume attained eleven billion Euros in 2006 and will reach twelve billion this year. Ties are particularly strong between South Africa and EU countries. Approximately 40 percent of South Africa's exports come to Europe, and 40 percent of the South African imports come from Europe. Berlin seeks to secure the German firms' privileged position with extensive training programs. The Deutsche Bahn (German Railway Corp.) is planning to train 45.000 South African youth to become "helpers" at the World Cup and subsequently aid them in finding jobs in German enterprises. According to the South African Minister of Commerce and Industry, his government concedes a "key role" to Germany in his country's economy.[2]

Ten Billion Euros

Already before the World Cup in 2006, German enterprises had launched their drive for extra profits from the South African soccer games. "Germany has amassed an extraordinary know-how through its implementation of the planning for the World Cup at home," German business representatives claimed in the summer 2005, with an eye on orders promising high profits: "Today, soccer World Cups signify approximately 10 billion Euros in investments in infrastructure, security and marketing."[3] According to business circles, these events offer "excellent possibilities in road construction, constructural and civil engineering, IT, systems and security technicians, logisticians as well as in the catering industry." In September 2005, a South African delegation met with 400 German business representatives in Mönchengladbach (state of North Rhine-Westphalia). "The South Africans wanted to learn" from the German businessmen, "how do you do it, organize a soccer World Cup," says a report on the meeting.[4]

Shoot Down

The German economic effort, relentlessly pursued since 2005, has been crowned with success. A German architectural firm is planning the construction of three new soccer stadiums in South Africa. An IT enterprise in Hamburg will supply the technology needed by the security forces, which not only will be equipped but also trained by Germans. German police are preparing the South African repressive forces for this sports event. The German Air Force is also participating in the World Cup planning. As was reported following the second German / South African Air Force general staff meeting last December, the experience of German Air Force pilots during the 2006 World Cup is "of particular interest for South Africa".[5] At the time, the German defense minister considered ordering the shooting down of hijacked passenger jetliners and methods for dealing with soldiers refusing to obey the order.[6] Accordingly only those soldiers should be deployed, who would be ready to execute such an order, that is obviously in violation of the constitution.

High Level

The Air Force meeting, that included discussions about preparations of the World Cup, are part of a comprehensive military cooperation. The German South Africa relations in security policies "have consistently developed over the past decade to reach a high level" according to an analysis about the "African Security Architecture."[7] Accordingly the German Navy maintains "as the 'Parent Navy' a close relationship with the South African Naval Forces", and "the strengthened cooperation between the German and South African Air Forces is developing in a similar positive manner." Joint German / South African military maneuvers render the cooperation fit for warfare.[8]

Strategic Partners

The two countries' military cooperation is part of the German design to make South Africa, the strongest economic and military power south of the Sahara, the stabilizing force of the African continent, at least of its Southern sector. The German government and the EU consider this to be the "criteria for a 'strategic partnership'," or rather for "the status of 'anchor country'" for German development policy [9] and seek to use this country to implement their interests in Africa. But critics caution against this, saying that Pretoria's "real power resources" are being "largely overestimated". Most African countries maintain relatively weak economic ties to South Africa, which means that South Africa can only exert little economic pressure on them.[10] Besides "the South African government has no real development aid policy instruments (...) that can be used for sanctions."

Military Equipment

To overcome these deficiencies, Berlin and Brussels are counting on the Pretoria's military to implement their African interests. Besides its military cooperation, Berlin is providing arms for the South African armed forces, to be able to take the leadership in African Union (AU) military deployments. "German arms exports to South Africa considerably grew between 2001 and 2004", reports an expert analysis: "According to the German government, South Africa was the second most important in 2003 (...) and in 2004 and 2005 the most important buyer of German military equipment" outside the Western industrial countries.[11] In 1999, Pretoria concluded supply contracts with arms industries in the EU amounting to approximately seven billion Euros: 52 fighter planes (24 Hawk aircraft and 28 Gripen fighters from British company BAE Systems), 30 helicopters (Agusta), as well as 4 frigates and 3 submarines (Blohm and Voss, HDW, Thyssen, Ferrostaal).[12] After western military experts attested serious deficiencies in the South African Armed Forces airlifting capacities, necessary for continental interventions to restore order, South Africa ordered 8 A400M military airlifters from the German French Airbus corporation in 2005.[13]

Development Problems

South Africa's high military expenditures are in certain "contradiction to the persistent development problems inside the country, particularly since there is no real external threat to South Africa," as observers see the situation: "The trend toward disarmament in the 1990s has been transformed into a process of remilitarization in the past few years."[14] The German hegemonic policy encompassing the African continent is taking effect.

[1] Fußball-WM: Noch 980 Tage bis zum Anpfiff; Presse- und Informationsamt der Bundesregierung 05.10.2007
[2] Merkel gegen afrikanische "Zustände"; taz.de 06.10.2007
[3], [4] Südafrika-Delegation zur Fußball-WM: Fußball-Kongress in Mönchengladbach; Industrie- und Handelskammer Mittlerer Niederrhein 09.09.2007
[5] Zweite Deutsch-Südafrikanische Luftwaffenstabsgespräche; www.luftwaffe.de 20.12.2006
[6] see also To Corner
[7] Wolf Kinzel: Die Afrikanische Sicherheitsarchitektur; www.mgfa-potsdam.de
[8] see also Zukünftige Operationen and Around Africa
[9] Südafrika - afrikanischer Hegemon oder Zivilmacht?; GIGA Focus Afrika 02/2007
[10] Die Länder Afrikas wickelten 1997 bis 2002 "nur 2% ihres Handels (...) mit Südafrika ab. Dies variiert natürlich in hohem Maße von Land zu Land, doch ist ein Muster deutlich: Je weiter entfernt das Partnerland, desto geringer ist der Handelsaustausch, bis hin zu den frankophonen Ländern, die im Schnitt weniger als 1% ihres Handels mit Südafrika bestreiten." Südafrika - afrikanischer Hegemon oder Zivilmacht?; GIGA Focus Afrika 02/2007
[11], [12] Länderportrait Südafrika; Bonn International Center for Conversion, Januar 2007
[13] Südafrika - afrikanischer Hegemon oder Zivilmacht?; GIGA Focus Afrika 02/2007
[14] Länderportrait Südafrika; Bonn International Center for Conversion, Januar 2007