South African Pan-Africanist and leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema, has once again emphasized the need to eliminate what he described as “artificial boundaries” in Africa.
“Africa is one,” Malema declared on Sunday at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference in Enugu State.
In a fiery address, the outspoken MP said these borders are injustices imposed on Africa by imperialist powers and must be dismantled.
He urged Africans to reclaim their dignity by first standing up to the West.
Malema insisted that true growth on the continent depends on bold and decisive steps toward unity.
He called for one president, one parliament, one army, and one currency for Africa.
Beyond political integration, he highlighted the need for Africa to process its own resources, generate wealth, and reduce reliance on Western financial institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank.
“That is the only way Africa can fully assert its sovereignty and shield itself from external manipulation and exploitation,” he argued.
“Unity will unlock economic growth by removing artificial borders and building a shared continental market that benefits all Africans. We must reject the illusion that our salvation must come from Washington,” Malema said.
Denounces Xenophobia in South Africa
Malema also condemned the xenophobic attacks that have repeatedly targeted other Africans in South Africa.
He attributed the violence not to migrants but to deeper structural problems rooted in imperialism.
“Let me be unequivocal here: xenophobia is a betrayal of African unity. It is a sickness born of poverty, inequality, and government failures, but its victims are our African brothers and sisters,” he stressed.
According to him, Nigerians, Zimbabweans, Congolese, and Somalis are not to blame for South Africa’s unemployment crisis.
“The real cause lies in South Africa’s untransformed economy, which remains in the hands of a white minority and multinational corporations who continue to exploit labor while refusing to industrialize,” Malema said.
He warned that Africans are being misled into directing their anger at one another instead of the true sources of oppression.
As a solution, he called for educating African youth and creating a labor system where skilled Africans can work freely across the continent.
“For instance, a Nigerian engineer should be able to work in South Africa, Cameroon, Ghana, or anywhere else in Africa as an African citizen,” he said.
Malema argued that integration—not division—was the only way forward, urging African leaders to harmonize trade, visa regimes, and policies, while investing in infrastructure that connects the continent.
“We don’t need a visa to travel within Africa. We are one,” he declared.
He said, by challenging leaders to make the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) a lived reality, not just words on paper.
