Yesterday, Julius Malema, South African opposition leader and President of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), declared that Africa needs a single economy with one currency and military command to be stronger.
He issued a rallying call for the continent to stand together and resist what he called the continued subjugation by developed economies.
In a keynote speech that drew a standing ovation from thousands of lawyers attending the Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Enugu, with the theme: “Stand out, stand tall,” Malema said Africa must also break the cycle of dependency.
He deplored the situation where Africa’s minerals are processed overseas and resold to the continent at exorbitant cost as finished goods.
He believes African countries can harness their areas of strength and forge a formidable united entity.
Malema, who lauded Nigeria’s role in the anti-Apartheid battle, described xenophobia – the dislike of people from other countries – as a “betrayal” of African unity.
“Nigerians are not the cause of South Africa’s unemployment crisis,” he said in reference to the attacks that led to the evacuation of Nigerians from the country in 2019.
Malema said: “We demand one Africa, we demand a borderless Africa, we demand an Africa with one president, one currency, one military command, with one parliament.
”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.”
Malema said Africa cannot be described as a “dark continent” when it is endowed with diamonds.
“How can we be a dark continent when we have diamonds shining among us?
“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.
