Malema Denounces Xenophobia, Urges Nigeria–South Africa Economic Alliance for Africa’s Rise

Enugu, Nigeria —
South African opposition leader and President of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema, has issued a powerful condemnation of xenophobia in South Africa, calling it a betrayal of African unity. Speaking as the keynote speaker at the 2025 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference in Enugu, Malema urged a new era of cooperation between Nigeria and South Africa to lead the continent’s industrial and economic transformation.

“A Nigerian in Johannesburg or a Ghanaian in Cape Town is not a foreigner but an African contributing to Africa’s progress,” Malema declared. “Xenophobia is anti-African unity. We must educate our people that unity, not division, is the solution to the African crisis.”

Malema used the platform to call for deeper economic collaboration between Nigeria and South Africa, emphasizing that the prosperity of Africa hinges on the unity and industrialization of its two largest economies.

“The path forward is clear: Nigeria and South Africa must industrialise together, build factories together and process our resources on African soil,” he said.

He proposed a vision where South African mining expertise merges with Nigerian oil wealth to build African-owned energy conglomerates, creating jobs and reducing dependence on foreign powers. “Imagine Nigeria feeding the continent while South African technology drives logistics and machinery. That is the Africa we must build,” he added.

Malema praised Nigeria’s historic support during South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle, recalling acts of solidarity like salary sacrifices by Nigerians, the Mandela Tax by students, and the country’s bold diplomatic stances.

“Nigeria is not just another African country to us. It is a comrade nation that stood firmly by our side during our darkest hour,” he said. “We cannot forget those who stood with us when it mattered most.”

He reminded the audience that Nelson Mandela’s early post-prison visits to Lagos and Abuja in 1990 symbolized that deep bond. That legacy, Malema argued, should now evolve into concrete economic cooperation.

Debt, Dependency & a Call for African Sovereignty

Malema also warned African nations against falling into “debt traps” from institutions like the IMF and World Bank, arguing such loans compromise sovereignty and mortgage the future of younger generations.

“The debt trap of Africa to our foreign colonisers must be stopped… They will not be there when the colonisers come to collect,” he warned.

Criticizing ongoing colonial-era economic structures, Malema lamented that Africa continues to export raw materials cheaply and import finished goods at exorbitant prices.

He reiterated the EFF’s Pan-African vision for a borderless continent with one currency, one parliament, and one military command, urging Africans to reclaim their land, resources, and future from imperialist interests.

“We are not a dark continent. How can we be dark when we have diamonds that shine among us?” he asked, drawing applause.

Advocating for Unity & Pan-African Integration

To reverse xenophobia and fragmentation, Malema proposed visa-free travel between Nigeria and South Africa, harmonized trade policies, and continent-wide infrastructure projects to create a unified African market.

He acknowledged successful cross-cultural and economic ties already in place — including South African companies like MTN, Shoprite, and Multichoice in Nigeria, as well as the influence of Nigerian music, film, and literature in South Africa. However, he cautioned that these gains are at risk without greater unity.

Solidarity Beyond Borders

Malema situated the Nigeria–South Africa partnership within a global solidarity movement, voicing support for oppressed peoples in Western Sahara, Palestine, Cuba, Haiti, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“The suffering of one oppressed people is the suffering of all oppressed people everywhere,” he said.

Criticizing what he called the “hypocrisy of international justice”, he cited South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, urging the continent to build its own institutions of accountability.

“If the so-called international community is unwilling to deliver justice in real time, then Africa must advance its own courts, its own tribunals, its own instruments of solidarity.”

A Shared Future

Closing his address, Malema reaffirmed the EFF’s radical Pan-African vision and challenged African nations to step away from dependency on the West.

“Our salvation will not come from Washington or Brussels,” he declared.
“It lies here, in Lagos and Johannesburg, in Abuja and Pretoria, in the hands of Africans who refuse to be divided.”

With calls for unity, justice, and self-reliance echoing through the auditorium, Malema’s speech was met with resounding applause — a rallying cry for a continent poised to chart its own path.