The New Southern African Customs Union Agreement: Dependence with Democracy

Richard Gibb

Journal of Southern African Studies, 2006, vol. 32, issue 3, 583-603

Abstract: The history and character of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) make it a remarkable institution. It is the oldest customs union in the world and the most stable, coherent and significant economic grouping on the African continent. Established in 1910, the SACU Agreement was first renegotiated in 1969, following the independence of the High Commission Territories, and again in 2004, following the democratisation of South Africa. The defining characteristic of SACU is the unusually high degree of inequality in the levels of development amongst its member states. South Africa's dominance in the region was ‘hard-wired’ into the geopolitical and regional economic landscape of SACU during the colonial, postcolonial and apartheid periods. This article examines the character of the political and institutional infrastructures of the 1910, 1969 and 2004 SACU Agreements. The article explores in detail the new 2004 Agreement, in the context of the main criticisms levelled at the previous agreements, and examines the extent to which it represents a fundamental break with past practice.

Date: 2006
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DOI: 10.1080/03057070600830557

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