The Republic of South Africa: the Southern African Regional Hegemon - Analysing the ‘irresponsible’ leadership of a regional Southern African hegemon; post-apartheid, through case studies of Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zimbabwe

Abstract

Numerous informal regional leaders exist all around the world. These include Japan in South East Asia, the United Kingdom (UK), France and Germany in Europe, and the United States (US) in North America. However, southern Africa as a region and the question of South African regional leadership is an area that remains uncertain, and under researched. This thesis examines the issues that arise when there is an irresponsible informal leader of a region of states, through a focus on South Africa’s role in the southern African region, with an indepth look at its relationship with Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. Further, a working theory has not been formulated for the role of a hegemon on the southern African region, and indeed there is not a fully applicable theory that can be used to theorize about a host of post-colonial states that are at such different levels of development, and have a wide variety of cultures, languages, and social dynamics. As such, this thesis uses South Africa’s current relationships with a select few states to form an analysis of the role of the hegemon, and develop a set of objectives for the South African government to turn around its leadership to become beneficial and effective to the development of the region as a whole. During the apartheid era South Africa played the role of a “regional surrogate”, and now it is time for South Africa to shake off this colonial image and become a responsible regional leader (Conteh-Morgan, 1997:55).