SOUTH African Economic Freedom Fighters leader Mr Julius Malema has called on Africans to unite to achieve political, economic and social growth.
The EFF leader said this yesterday when he came into the country to pay his condolences to Zimbabwe and the Mugabe family on the passing on of former President Robert Mugabe.
Former President Mugabe died on September 5 in Singapore and was declared a national hero.
Mr Malema was accompanied by some EFF members including the party’s national spokesman, Dr Mbuyiseni Ndlozi.
He paid his condolences to former First Lady Grace Mugabe and also viewed the body of the late President at the family’s Blue Roof residence in Borrowdale.
Mr Malema has on several occasions spoken against xenophobia urging Africans to unite as they are brothers and sisters who should work together to fight colonial oppression.
Speaking in an interview at the Blue Roof, Mr Malema said he had come to pay condolences on behalf of the people of South Africa and the EFF and to thank the former First Lady for looking after former President Mugabe until the last day.
He urged the youths to learn from older African leaders like Cde Mugabe who stood up for the rights of Africans and united people regardless of national boundaries. “We came here to thank Mrs Mugabe and tell her in person we are proud of her and she serves as an inspiration to most of us. She must protect Cde Mugabe’s legacy.
“We really support her and the family and we respect the last wishes of Cde Mugabe and that in our Africa tradition the word of the deceased cannot be undermined,” Mr Malema said.
He said there was a need for Africans to unite and fight against divisions that were imposed on them by the colonial regimes.
“We are always at home when we are in Zimbabwe. We ought to be fearless and Pan- Africanist in character. We should know that Africa is not a continent but a country. We are one people. We should fight for the borderless continent because these borders were imposed on us by the imperialist forces.
“They (borders) are not of our own and when you say you are a student or an activist of anti-colonialism yet at the same time you support borders you are unwittingly supporting colonialism. We need one Africa with one currency and one President. We need an Africa that is going to grow politically, economically and socially which will be regarded by China, America and Europe as an equal not a type of thing.
“The unity of African people, the unity of Africa is a direct threat to imperialism and colonialism and that’s why they (imperialists) spent too much effort dividing us because they can only thrive through division,” Mr Malema said.
He paid tribute to Cde Mugabe for fighting for the rights of Africans and his contributions towards liberating South Africa.
Mr Malema said Cde Mugabe adequately represented Africa at different platforms including the UN General Assembly, African Union and Sadc platforms.
“It’s for us who remain to protect his legacy. If there are misunderstandings they should be resolved in a peaceful African way so that we are not viewed as barbaric by the international community,” he said.
