The Ebbs and Flows of Paradiplomacy in South Africa

This chapter critically analyzes the development and future prospects of paradiplomacy in South Africa, against the backdrop of a changing domestic and geopolitical environment. Drawing on both primary and secondary material, I argue that the development of paradiplomacy in South Africa over the past three decades has been a story of ebbs and flows, reflecting both the dynamism of the country's unitary but decentralized political system and also lingering challenges in consolidating its democratic order. Paradiplomacy in this context has evolved predominantly as a development strategy to complement the domestic project of socio-economic transformation. However, in recent years, the convergence of both the decline of the African National Congress's (ANC) electoral fortunes and a shifting geopolitical landscape has introduced a political dimension to paradiplomacy in the country. The Democratic Alliance (DA), which until the May 2024 elections was the official opposition in parliament, has increasingly used the institutions of government in the province and cities it governs to subtly and sometimes overtly attempt to subvert the foreign policy orientation and positions of the ANC-led national government. The emergence of a multiparty coalition government, dubbed the Government of National Unity (GNU), in 2024 promises to further dynamize paradiplomacy in South Africa.