….Pushes For Single African Presidency, Currency, Borderless Continent
South African opposition leader, Julius Malema, has cautioned the continent against loans from Brentwood organisations and others, warning that such moves can undermine Africa.
Malema spoke on Sunday in Enugu as a keynote speaker during the opening ceremony of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference.
According to the outspoken South African, such loans, which he described as “a debt trap,” can mortgage the future of the continent.
“The debt trap of Africa to our foreign colonisers must be stopped, and that begins by regulating these loans that our leaders commit future generations to, because they will not be there when the colonisers come to collect,” Malema told the gathering.
The President of South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters said the South African parliament is making a move to checkmate loans from these institutions.
He said, “The Public Finance Management Amendment Bill will in South Africa deal with a problem facing the whole continent, and that is the unregulated borrowing of money by our governments from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“This bill, which we have introduced as the EFF, will require that the National Treasury in South Africa first seek approval from Parliament to source foreign loans and establish transparency regarding such loans and their conditionalities,” the EFF leader said.
Malema equally hailed Nigeria for its support of South Africa during its apartheid struggle, proposing that such a bond should be strengthened.
“Combined, we possess the minerals that power modern technology, the energy resources that fuel global industry, and the human capital to build a self-sufficient continent.
“The path forward is clear: Nigeria and South Africa must industrialise together, build factories together, and process our resources on African soil,” he said.
He believes the continent’s “salvation” lies within and will not “come from Washington, London, Brussels, or Beijing.
“Our salvation lies here, in Lagos and Johannesburg, in Abuja and Pretoria, in the hands of Africans who refuse to be divided,” the firebrand South African politician told the thousands of lawyers and other dignitaries at the event.
Pushes For Single African Presidency, Currency, Borderless Continent
Meanwhile, the president of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema, has called for a united Africa under one president, one currency, one parliament, and one military command.
Delivering a keynote address at the Nigeria Bar Association’s Annual General Conference in Enugu on Sunday, Malema asked African leaders to discard “colonial” boundaries and work towards a borderless continent that speaks with one voice.
“We demand one Africa, we demand a borderless Africa, we demand an Africa with one president, one currency, one military command, with one parliament,” Malema said in his speech at a ceremony attended by thousands of lawyers and other distinguished personalities.
“We know the currency of Africa will be much stronger against the American currency. We don’t care what Donald Trump or any other leader thinks of us. Africans must refuse to be subjects of others. We must stand together as the world changes and show the world that Africa is one and equal to all nations,” he added.
Africa is home to 54 recognised sovereign states, each with its own president or leader. However, Malema has challenged this and is seeking to consolidate leadership on the continent under a single African authority.
‘Capacity To Create Wealth’
The 44-year-old South African politician rejected the portrayal of Africa as a “dark continent,” stressing that it is endowed with diamonds, minerals, and other resources that can drive prosperity.
“We are a shining nation. We must make sure that no single corner of Africa witnesses Africans killing each other. We must unite against the forces that seek to exploit us.
“The land belongs to Africans, and the minerals of Africa must be returned to Africans. We have the capacity to create industries and process our minerals here. We must never allow imperialist forces to divide us in order to take our wealth,” he said.
The Economic Freedom Fighters president called for visa-free movement across the continent, saying, “Africans should not need visas to visit one another.”
Malema believes Africa’s salvation lies within the continent.
“Our salvation lies here, in Lagos and Johannesburg, in Abuja and Pretoria, in the hands of Africans who refuse to be divided,” the South African opposition leader said.
He identified Nigeria and South Africa as critical drivers of Africa’s industrialisation and growth, urging both countries to provide leadership for the continent’s development.
Malema hailed Nigeria for standing firmly with South Africa during the fight against apartheid and said both countries can lead the African Continental Free Trade Area to improve the lives of ordinary people.
The firebrand politician cautioned African nations against reckless borrowing, calling for stricter regulation of loans from the World Bank and other international lenders.
‘Xenophobia Betrayal Of Africa’s Unity’
Addressing xenophobia that has trailed the continent for years, Malema insisted that Nigerians, Congolese, and Zimbabweans living in South Africa are not the cause of the country’s problems, describing the attacks as “a betrayal of African unity.”
“Xenophobia is a sickness borne of poverty, inequality, and government failure,” he argued.
“Africans must love themselves, not kill one another. Black people are not loved in Africa, and not loved abroad either, but we must learn to treat ourselves better.”
