MIND THE BOSS!

All African countries at the moment are at liberty to proclaim to the world that they are free, independent and sovereign. However, this claim may not be entirely true and could be rather pretentious.
After the end of Apartheid in South Africa, as Nelson Mandela readied himself to take the reins of power, something strange is said to have happened behind the scenes. It is said that the Apartheid government downgraded the nuclear research facilities and dismantled some of the equipment which they carted away, ostensibly, for safe keeping in some western country. This left the aging Koeberg Nuclear power station with no alternative but to import fuel from outside for refueling because it was no longer available locally. It's alleged that this precaution was taken so as to deny the blacks the chance to advance in nuclear science which the Afrikaans considered a preserve of the elite white race. Well, there is majority government led by blacks at the moment, but the real power behind the throne is held by the minority whites who control the industry and the economy.
Before the Israeli commandos landed at Entebbe Airport in Uganda in July 1976, to rescue their citizens who had been taken hostage in an Air France passenger plane that had been taken hostage by the members Patriotic Front for Liberation of Palestine, not many people had realized  that the airport had been constructed by Israeli companies who readily availed the plans to Mossad for planning the rescue operation which was a huge success. This obviously deflated the ego of President Amin who may have thought earlier on that he could secure his homestead at any time  but realized to his chagrin that there was another Boss who knew the nooks better!
In our country, Kenya, it's quite common to find men in bars over the weekend enjoying their favorite Tusker beer as they watch the popular English Premier League soccer. In between, when the discussion is not on who of the players is sleeping where, it's likely to be local politics with everything including why International Criminal Court at The Hague should not interfere in our affairs as a sovereign state. That's fine and pleasant to the ears but are we that much sovereign?
During the investigation of the Anglo-leasing Financial Scandal a few years ago, it was pointed out that a company that had been contracted to construct and equip an ultra-modern military command center was fictitious. Now if we give such sensitive assignments to foreigners, and dubious ones,  where is our sovereignty? Following the recent investigation into the army procurement scandals, it was revealed that an Israeli company that  was contracted to overhaul armored personnel carriers bought from France about four decades ago had actually done a shoddy job. So, you see, the foreigners have the inside information about our military capabilities and will obviously have the upper hand in any conflict.
In conclusion, I don't think that there is any African country at the moment that can claim to be free, independent and sovereign. Any such talk is all hot air because we know that somebody else controls our airwaves, skies, land and sea by supplying the equipment, switch gears and control monitors for the same. Even the equipment that we use in our research labs including mundane items such  as petri-dishes are all sourced from outside Africa. All the military hardware including the fighter jets, never mind even the second hand ones, are sourced from outside and serviced by outsiders. Therefore next time we want to brag of how sovereign we are, we are well advised to be a little bit more modest lest we annoy the Boss! Phew!