Political contestation and ownership models in Debswana and Sonangol
Date
2015-08-25
Authors
Taodzera, Shingirai L
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Abstract
Extractive natural resources have always been associated with negative outcomes in sub-
Saharan countries. However, it is essential to investigate the extent to which domestic
political conditions influence ownership structures, which may or may not subsequently result
in adverse outcomes. Through a comparative analysis between the cases of Angola and
Botswana, this study finds that, political contestation influences ownership models as
hypothesized to an extent. In Angola, the post-independence civil war pitting the ruling MPLA
against UNITA resulted in Sonangol being managed as a wholly owned state enterprise,
albeit serving the interests of the MPLA elite instead of broad-based developmental interests.
In Botswana, however, Debswana was managed as a public-private entity located within a
democratic political system, and this ownership structure was more a result of rational policy
planning than political contestation. Nevertheless, the cases’ history of colonial rule and
political institutions established upon the attainment of political independence are
substantially influential factors as well. Non-settler colonialism and non-militarized political
transitions to independence facilitated the growth of “organic” political and economic
institutions and public-private ownership structures in Botswana, while settler colonialism
and pre-independence militarization influenced the growth of centralized post-colonial state
structures internal strife in Angola. The timing of resource extraction was also important,
with pre-independence oil extraction influencing militarized rivalry in Angola, while postindependence
extraction of diamonds in Botswana was a causal factor in the development of
strong state institutions. External factors, particularly the Cold War influenced militarised
outcomes in Angola, while the nature of the global diamond market had a contributory factor
to the establishment of the public-private ownership model in Botswana.
Description
Submitted to the University of the Witwatersrand’s Faculty of Humanities in partial fulfilment of the
degree of Master of Arts in International Relations
International Relations Department
University of the Witwatersrand
March 2015