The African Union (AU) founding fathers’ dream of having a united continent should be pursued through regional blocs, Zimbabwe Communist Party (ZCP) general secretary, Ngqabutho Mabhena has said.
The AU on Monday celebrated its 57 years of existence, through the Africa Day commemorations held on May 25 every year.
In his Africa Day message, Mabhena said his party was of the view that, while Africa’s founding fathers called for unity across the continent, they believed that under current conditions that unity should be built region by region if success is to be registered.
The current leadership of our region (SADC), and indeed of most of Africa, is dominated by those with a perspective of personal enrichment either through simple looting (in the name of ‘black economic empowerment’) or alternatively by establishing themselves as a comprador bourgeoisie working for foreign monopoly capitalism,” said Mabhena.
“In fact political antagonism today is mainly between those taking one or other of these positions. Both groups are trying to recruit workers in support of personal glorification. As communists, we cannot bury our heads in the sand and think that these challenges will simple disappear on their own. We must work towards unity within the SADC region.”
He said historically SADC countries, separated by colonial borders, share common culture, languages, and ancestry.
“The ZCP calls for the reunion of the peoples of SADC region,” he said.
“Why should relatives be divided by borders created in Europe and face immigration procedures far more rigorous than those now in place there? Why is it difficult to meet as families and perform rituals without the permission of immigration officials?”
Mabhena said ZCP recognises efforts by SADC governments in promoting trade within the region, trade without the development of production through regional planning can only have a very limited influence on human development.
“Most important of all, our economies must neither be controlled by people outside our continent nor by looters within,” argued Mabhena.
“The working-class and peasantry which fought and bled in the fight against direct colonialism must now take the initiative because our Bourgeois leadership have proved themselves, through greed and incompetence to be incapable of carrying out the mission to one Africa !”
