The leader of the South African opposition, Julius Malema, has requested a deeper economic collaboration between Nigeria and South Africa, stating that the unity of the two nations is essential for industrialization and the future of Africa.
Speaking as the main speaker at the Annual General Conference of the Nigeria (NBA) Bar Association of 2025 in ENUGU, Malema emphasized that the destination of Africa depends on the political and economic decisions taken by these two continental giants.
Malema began his speech at the NBA conference paying tribute to the historical role of Nigeria in the Liberation Wrestling of South Africa, stating: “We cannot forget those who stopped us when it mattered.”
Also read: Malema warns of African nations against loans of ‘debt trap’ of the World Bank, IMF
He recalled how the government and citizens of Nigeria, through initiatives such as the Aid Fund in South Africa and a “Mandela Tax” on students, provided moral and material support to the Anti-Apartheid movement.
He also highlighted Nelson Mandela’s visit to Lagos and Abuja after his release from the prison in 1990, underlining the lasting link between the two countries.
The leader of the Fire brand criticized the existing economic model, where Africa exports raw materials at low cost to foreign powers only to buy finished products at inflated prices.
He declared: “The way forward is clear: Nigeria and South Africa must industrialize together, build factories and process our resources in the African soil.”
He proposed a joint program that combines South African mining experience with Nigeria’s oil wealth to create energy conglomerates and Africa -owned resources.
Malema also advocated an Africa without borders with a single currency, a parliament and a military command to promote the freer movement and harmonized commercial policies.
Malema also condemned xenophobic attacks in South Africa, describing them as “a disease born of poverty, inequality and government failure.”
He added: “We must educate our people that unity, not division, is the solution to the African crisis.” He stressed that a “Nigerian in Johannesburg or a Ghanaian in Cape Town is not an foreigner but an African who contributes to Africa’s progress.”
The EFF leader also warned against the “debt trap” imposed by foreign nations, stating that such mortgage loans in Africa.
“The debt trap of Africa to our foreign colonizers must stop, and that begins by regulating these loans to which our leaders commit future generations, because they will not be there when the colonizers come to collect them,” he emphasized.
In his speech, Malema presented a vision of a continent where nations collaborate to become “giants, not beggars” and “people” instead of “divided tribes.”
“Together, Nigeria and South Africa can take Africa to a future in which we are not beggars, but giants, not divided tribes but people,” he concluded.
Watch the best Nigerian Tribune TV videos