User:Jnordhoff13/sandbox

Old lead: "South Africa–Sweden relations refers to the bilateral relations between Sweden and South Africa. Sweden has an embassy in Pretoria and South Africa has an embassy in Stockholm.

Formal relations between the two countries began with the opening of a South African legation in the 1930s with relations being upgraded to ambassadorial level in 1994 following South Africa's first non-racial democratic elections. In 2000 a South African - Swedish Binational Commission was established by President Thabo Mbeki and Prime Minister Göran Persson.

During apartheid Sweden lent significant support for the anti-apartheid movement within South Africa. During the 1960s a nationwide anti-apartheid movement was established in Sweden leading to Sweden becoming the only western country to give official support to the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa during the early 1970s.

In 2015 an estimated 18,000 South Africans were employed by Swedish companies."

New (modified) lead....

South Africa–Sweden relations refers to the bilateral relations between Sweden and South Africa. Sweden has an embassy in Pretoria and South Africa has an embassy in Stockholm.

Formal relations between the two countries began with the opening of a South African legation in the 1930s with relations being upgraded to ambassadorial level in 1994 following South Africa's first non-racial democratic elections. In 2000 a South African - Swedish Binational Commission was established by President Thabo Mbeki and Prime Minister Göran Persson.

During apartheid Sweden lent significant support for the anti-apartheid movement within South Africa. This support included official assistance from the Swedish government, which was the made Sweden the only Western country to give official support to the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa during the early 1970's. Notably, this official support grew from protests, boycotts, and social movements within the Swedish public.

In the current day, this partnership between the two nations has stayed strong, as shown by governmental and societal cooperation.

Current Involvement
Since South Africa's democratic transition, South Africa and the Kingdom of Sweden have built a fruitful partnership. This includes a bi-national commission and 22 total bilateral agreements. These initiatives span past targeting fundamental needs and, rather, work towards educational and technological growth, such as the South Africa-Sweden University Forum (SASUF)2 and the Cape Town-Stockholm Connect Initiative.

Broader Context
Sweden's fight against apartheid was part of a larger trend of Swedish support for liberation movements in Southern Africa. In 1969, the Swedish Parliament declared official support for liberation movements in a statement from the Standing Committee on Appropriations. Specifically, official support followed for MPLA in Angola, FRELIMO in Mozambique, SWAPO in South West Africa/Namibia, ZANU and ZAPU in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe, and ANC in South Africa.
 * expand on: Wider nordic involvement in south african liberation movements
 * maybe other small case study examples? angola, etc.

Early Beginnings
Although Sweden's support for a variety of South African liberation movements grew in the 1960's and later on, Sweden's connection with Southern Africa initially constituted only a connection with South Africa. (see more info on this citation if wanted)
 * scientific exploration, missionaries, emigration, commercial enterprises, etc.
 * shift in tide from support of white Africa to anti-apartheid in 1950's

Social Organization and Support
Swedish support for the anti-apartheid movement solidified and spread in the early 1960's. In 1960, the Trade Union Confederation and the Cooperative Union and Wholesale Society began a boycott of South African goods. In 1961, the Swedish South Africa Committee (SSAK) was created and in 1963, the National Council of Swedish Youth also launched a boycott against South African goods. All of these actions spread support for the anti-apartheid movement from a narrow elite to the general public.

After these actions, Swedish contributions to the the International Defence and Aid Fund for Southern Africa (IDAF) increased to a total of about 140,000 SEK. Notably, however, this number increased significantly when Sweden became the first industrialized Western country to give public funds to the IDAF with a gift equivalent to 100,000 US$.

The Swedish South Africa Committee (SSAK) created a constitution and program at its founding in Stockholm on March 6, 1961. The objectives outlined include to create a "a strong opinion against apartheid in Sweden," to organize Swedish citizens, to spread accurate information, to help marginalized youth and ethnic groups find education, and to generally support local organization against the apartheid regime in South Africa.

A relationship formed between the South Africa United Front (SAUF) and the SSAK, fueled especially by the visit of the SAUF co-leaders to Stockholm in 1961. Additionally, the SSAK formed a strong relationship with the African National Congress (ANC). Though the group was widely favored in Sweden, the main impetus behind support came when the ANC President-General, Chief Albert Luthuli, was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 1961.

Swedish Pushback
Leftover from historical relations with White South Africa, some voices resisted the anti-apartheid push in Sweden. Particularly, these voices included Swedish businesses with interests in South Africa, conservative representatives of the Swedish foreign service, and the churches.

Official Action
The Left, Social Democratic, and Liberal parties all submitted parliamentary motions to officially extend support to liberation movements in Southern Africa in 1969. These proposals laid the groundwork for financial support to come. Although the Swedish government initially denied the ANC's request for aid in 1968, they eventually extended direct aid to the ANC in 1973. General Andres Forsse, the director of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, officially signed this request on February 2, 1973. This request granted 150,000 SEK for food. From this amount in 1973, Swedish aid grew to 127 million SEK in 1993/1994. In total, by 1994, direct aid from SIDA to the ANC reached a total of 896 million SEK.

Olaf Palme
Olaf Palme was the Swedish prime minister throughout the 1970's and 1980's, and a staunch advocate for South African freedom. He gave a famous speech in 1965 advocating for the the alliance with people struggling for national and social liberation. Also mentioning the Vietnam War, the speech marked a decisive breach from the prior official Swedish policy of non-alignment. He declared that "The fundamental moral [values] of democratic socialism [...] make it our obligation to stand on the side of the oppressed against the oppressors, on the side of the poor and the distressed against their exploiters and masters."

In the decades following, Palme became a vocal advocate for the ANC and people oppressed by the apartheid system. In 1986, for example, he spoke with ANC president Oliver Tambo at the Swedish People's Parliament against Apartheid, where described apartheid as a "despicable, doomed system." Unfortunately, Palme was murdered just 7 days later.