Africa opens the gates, not South Africa

While the Chinese were feting African heads of state this week, good old South African arrogance – that we are “Africa’s superpower” – was on display once again.

On the sideline of the summit in China this week, Standard Bank group chief executive Sim Tshabalala painted a dire picture of Africa’s challenges to overcome problem areas of development such as electricity, logistics, roads, rail, ports, water, agriculture, tourism and telecoms.

President Cyril Ramaphosa was, at the same time, extolling the virtues of South Africa as the “gateway to Africa”.

His words were reminiscent of the old South African slogan from the ’90s that it was “bringing the world to Africa and taking Africa to the world”.

We need to point out to both gentlemen that the world – and particularly Africa – has moved on a lot since the ’90s.

Countries like Rwanda, Kenya and Ethiopia have already developed their airlines and aviation infrastructure to the extent that they are the de facto way into Africa.

Ditto with the countries which have improved their port facilities – such as Mozambique – and proved in the process that sending goods through South Africa’s inefficient ports and transport system is a waste of money when there are better alternatives.

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We need to disabuse ourselves of the notion that we are the economic and technological leader on this continent – never mind convincing South Africans of all colours that Africa is where they live and not some strange and dark place where “there be dragons…”

Africa is busy getting its act together – and largely without patronising Big Brother South Africa giving it advice.

We need to accept that and start treating other African nations as equal partners – as well as tackling our own Aphrophobia – if we are not to wake up one day and discover we’ve been left behind.