Communist Party of China Solidifies Ties with Six African Ruling Parties

IPP Media posted on 17 July 2018 an article titled "African Freedom Parties Team Up in New Leadership College Venture" by Aisia Rweyemamu. China is building and financially supporting a $45 million Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Leadership School in Tanzania with the engagement of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The six ruling African political parties involved in the project are Tanzania's CCM, Angola's MPLA, South Africa's ANC, Namibia's SWAPO, Mozambique's FRELIMO, and Zimbabwe's ZANU-PF. The school will offer short, mid, and long-term training in political ideology and leadership skills with the aim of hastening the economic liberation of Africa.

Zimbabwe's The Herald published on 17 July 2018 an article titled "Groundbreaking Ceremony of Julius Nyerere Leadership School Held." The article reported a congratulatory message from Chinese President Xi Jinping that the CPC is taking the opportunity of this leadership school to enhance exchanges with political parties in Africa so as to jointly promote the construction of a closer community with a shared future for China and Africa.

The Daily Maverick posted a commentary by Susan Booysen on 1 August 2018 titled "Hues of the ANC's Chinese Homecoming" on the ANC's connection with the Tanzanian-based leadership school and the longer relationship between the CPC and the ANC. It appears that the joint school in Tanzania will substitute for a national ANC political school in South Africa that has been under discussion with China.

It is interesting that southern African countries such as Zambia where political power has changed from one party to another party or those such as Botswana where democracy is more firmly implanted are not part of this project. This begs the question: should one conclude that the six ruling parties that are part of the project expect to remain in power in perpetuity?