South Africa: Next Rich Failed State?
Perfect Target for a Hostile Takeover
by Nils A. Haug • December 18, 2024 at 5:00 am
South Africa... has an active and influential Muslim sector supportive of Hamas and Palestinian land claims. Coupled to its pathetic intelligence services, and its lamentable military and police forces, South Africa is ill-equipped to counter Islamist infiltration from neighboring regions or its growing internal extremist movements.
Apart from succeeding in overcoming Apartheid, all that the ANC and allies have put their minds to since, ends in dismal failure. Every state-owned enterprise is broke and/or dysfunctional.... The same applies to government departments....
As a mineral-rich country... South Africa is a prime target for a hostile takeover by opportunistic authoritarian state players. Russia, China and Iran are strongly positioned already...
Of the three, China, with its vast financial and political investments in Africa, carries the most influence, and this will no doubt increase beyond the West's capacity to match it as time passes. At this moment, with its primary focus on the Middle East and Ukraine, the West is unable or unwilling to match China's multi-faceted influence in the region and thus offers China unbounded freedom to accelerate pursuit of its interests there.
[T]he West's loss of influence in the region might be greatly regretted for decades to come.
Although the African National Congress (ANC) remains the dominant political party in South Africa after the 2024 national elections, its power is significantly diminished in addition to its reduced parliamentary representation. After failing to command a majority, the ANC is the largest faction of South Africa's so-called Government of National Unity – although there is little unity among its large number of members. To describe the government as a fragile coalition would be more accurate.
