It’s a victory that may not have grabbed eyeballs here. Nevertheless, it’s one that’s being watched with keen interest by New Delhi as South African leader Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma begins her tenure as the first woman head of the African Union’s (AU) executive arm, the African Union Commission.
The 63-year-old Dlamini, a medical doctor, was till now the home affairs minister in her country. Ms Dlamini-Zuma has been a leading anti-apartheid activist and is the former wife of South African president, Jacob Zuma.
As she takes over the reins of the largest and most powerful body representing the African countries — the AU has 54 members — New Delhi will be keeping a close watch on what her policy pronouncements will be given India’s growing engagement with the African continent.
The 53-member African Union (AU), in which India enjoys the observer status in its ministerial conference, along with such other countries as the US, UK, China and Japan, is considered “extremely important” by New Delhi. With Ms Dlamini-Zuma at the helm of affairs in the AU, India will not only be looking at all her policy pronouncements carefully but is also looking forward to working closely with her.
As India’s ties with countries on the African continent grow and deepen, New Delhi concedes that the country’s engagement at a pan-African level is “guided by the AU”.
Ms Dlamini-Zuma’s election has not been without its share of controversy. For, in fielding her, South Africa broke the unwritten convention by which the Big Five, who are the largest contributors to the AU budget — South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Libya and Algeria — desist from contesting for the post of the AU chair.
Till now, its the smaller, poorer that fielded candidates and saw them elected to the powerful AU. But with Ms Dlamini-Zuman’s victory, it means that for the first time, a major African power will be heading the AU. The contest also led to a further sharpening of divisions between the less developed Francophone and more developed Anglophone countries in Africa.