The President and Commander in Chief of South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema, delivered a keynote address at the 20...
The President and Commander in Chief of South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema, delivered a keynote address at the 2025 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference in Enugu State on Sunday, calling for African unity, justice, and resistance against neocolonial domination.
Malema emphasised that the two nations, having shared histories of colonial exploitation and divisions, must rise above external influences to drive Africa’s progress.
“We don’t need a visa between South Africa and Nigeria. In the same way, we don’t need a visa for our people to travel in their own continent. We are one. Both South Africa and Nigeria know the pain of colonialism,” Malema said.
He urged both nations to lead the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) beyond being just a policy document, transforming it into a practical reality that benefits ordinary citizens.
“Together Nigerians and South Africa can lead the African Continental Free Trade Area not as a paper agreement but as a living reality that changes the lives of ordinary people,” he noted.
Malema further rejected the belief that Africa’s solutions would come from outside powers.
He said: “We must reject the illusion that our salvation will come from Washington, London, or Beijing. Our salvation lies here in Lagos and Johannesburg, in the hands of Africans who refuse to be divided.”
He also called for fair trade policies, protection of local industries, and greater investment in education, technology, and innovation.
On the issue of xenophobia, Malema urged Africans to prove to the world that they stand united.
“We must prove to the whole world that we are not xenophobic. We love one another,” he said.
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