Who profits from the foreign policies of the South African government?
Neville Alexander: South Africa is seen by above all Europe and the USA as an important partner in the economic development of the south of Africa. In the governing Alliance which exists between the African National Congress (ANC), the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the trade union confederation COSATU, it is mainly the ANC which almost enthuastically fulfills these expectations. Thabo Mbeki, the ruling President has, with his concept of the “African Renaissance”, provided the superstructure for this. On the one hand, the African Renaissance programmatically sums up the regeneration of African culture, the economy, and political and social life. On the other hand, it creates a powerful structure in which, above all, the dominant states south of the Sahara can take the political and economic initiative. Mbeki and others claim that this programme will benefit all people in Africa, and above all the poor. But because it will be carried out within a capitalist and neoliberal mode
