Why Canada could support an old capital ship more readily than South Africa

Could Britain have transferred an old battleship or battlecruiser to Canada or South Africa?

Canada could probably build the required support infrastructure, but South Africa lacked the dry-docking facilities.

Handing over an old battlecruiser would transfer an infrastructure burden as well as a hull. Canada could build the facilities needed to support and maintain such a ship. South Africa was a poorer candidate because it lacked suitable dry-docking capacity. A navy cannot absorb a prestige vessel unless its bases can keep the ship operational.