Former South African President Jacob Zuma has described the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party as the “only true hope for the last stage of the total liberation of the South African people” and a continuation of the liberation struggle.
Speaking at the eighth Annual Leadership Lecture at the University of Professional Studies in Accra, Ghana, Zuma hailed the MK Party’s manifesto, known as the People’s Mandate, as the cornerstone of its vision and policy direction. The manifesto emphasizes reclaiming dignity, land and mineral resources, people’s power, the economy, human capital and technology, public spaces, security, and South Africa’s sovereignty within Africa and the world.
“Together, these pillars embody the uncompromising vision of the MKP as the only true hope for the last stage of the total liberation of the South African people — a liberation not just from apartheid’s political chains, but from economic captivity, poverty, unemployment, and neo-colonial domination that continue to strangle our nation,” Zuma said.
He criticized the Government of National Unity (GNU), calling it a “compromised arrangement,” and insisted that MKP represented the true spirit of South Africa’s forebears, committed to achieving full freedom, dignity, and prosperity.
Zuma also reflected on South Africa’s strong and growing ties with Ghana, noting over 20 bilateral agreements covering trade, defence, agriculture, and ICT, including a recent visa waiver for ordinary passport holders. Since 2019, relations between the two countries have been strengthened through a presidential-level Bi-National Commission, which Zuma said has enabled accountability and real progress.
He praised Ghana’s position on the Western Sahara dispute, commending its support for Morocco’s autonomy plan over separatist ambitions. According to Zuma, this stance reflects a commitment to African unity rather than foreign interests. “The era of Balkanising Africa to serve foreign agendas is over. By prioritising stability and integration, Ghana has once again placed itself at the forefront of Pan-African leadership,” he noted.
Warning against foreign interference, Zuma declared: “The days of Africa dancing to foreign drums are over. We shall beat our own drum.” He urged African nations to unite against Western dominance and build their own systems of power, innovation, and governance.
“The West built its power by chaining Africa. The new generation of Africans must build our power by breaking those chains. Africa must produce not just employees for foreign corporations, but inventors, thinkers, and builders of African systems. We must move from the classroom to the policy room, from the laboratory to the marketplace, from the lecture hall to the halls of power,” Zuma concluded.
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