OPINION: How South Africa Is Viewing Trump vs. Biden

WILLIAM SAUNDERSON-MEYER

SOUTH Africans are painfully aware that their country generally does not loom large, if at all, in the awareness of most Americans, nor in the policies of their government. But that doesn’t mean they’re not waiting with keen interest to see the outcome of Tuesday’s race between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

US involvement in South Africa peaked during the Cold War. It has revived only recently, and sporadically at that, largely as a counter to Washington’s unease over the growing influence of China, with that nation’s ostensibly “no strings attached” economic assistance to Africa through its “belt and road” initiative.

For historical reasons, South Africa’s relationship with the US is a little different than other African nations. During the apartheid years, the White minority governments aligned themselves with the Western nations and leveraged SA’s militarily strategic position to maximize British and US support. This