Thank Our Creator for Today!

Distinguished guests, esteemed academics, visionary leaders, and cherished comrades,

Vice Chancellor of UNISA,
Dean – Faculty of Law,
Students – The future of Africa,
Architects of this transformative gathering—and the presence of a revolutionary force in her own right, Her Excellency – Mama Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma – The first Chairperson of the African Union (AU) and Female first Chairperson of the AU:

We assemble here in UNISA – Pretoria under the theme of the 2025 Conference, woven into the clarion call of Agenda 2063—a bold vision for an Africa that is sovereign, prosperous, and truly liberated from the enduring shadows of colonialism, launched during the tenureship of Mama Nkozasana as Chairperson of the AU.

Honoring Legacy:

A Mandate, Not a Memory-
Today, we pay homage to the warriors and ancestors whose sacrifices paved our path.

Their legacy is not just history—it is an unrelenting mandate.
We do not gather merely to reflect but to advance their mission.
Let us ground ourselves in gratitude: for this moment, for our shared commitment, and for the unyielding spirit that refuses to accept stagnation as our destiny.

The ACUC Mandate: Afrocentricity in Action
The Afrikan Continental Union Consult (ACUC), described also as The Afrikan Continental Union of Citizens – is more than an institution—it is a movement rooted in Afrocentric governance and self-determination. We champion a future where power resides with the people and Africa reclaims its own narrative.

In this pursuit, we applaud the UNISA School of Law—a beacon of intellectual rigor and democratic stewardship, for in UNISA, they say it as it is!.

Your work in cultivating leaders who blend academic excellence with transformative action is indispensable.

A Hallowed Space-

Legacy and Liberation!
This hall bears the name of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela—Nomzamo, the Mother of Afrikan Defiance.
Her life reminds us that liberation is not a singular event but a continuous struggle against all forms of oppression.

We invoke the spirit of Harriet Tubman, that, we never get tired, and keep moving forward! The indomitable liberator, has stepped into this Hall —not in the body, but in spirit.

Their legacies are torches lighting our way forward!
Africa may no longer face invading armies, but she remains besieged—by systems of exploitation, by economic fragmentation, and by psychological subjugation.

The scars of poverty and inequality are not just wounds; they are rallying cries demanding action. We are heirs to Sankara and Lumumba—it is our duty to rise and rebuild.

Reimagining Unity: From Fragmentation to Federation
Africa is not 54 fragmented states—we are One People—a constellation bound by blood, struggle, and destiny.
From the Saharawi dunes to Kenya’s savannahs, from Lagos’s markets to Gauteng’s mines, our diversity is our strength. But strength without unity is like a sword without a hilt.

Agenda 2063 envisions a continental federation—a United States of Africa. Grand visions demand granular action. The time for deliberation has passed. We must act.

The Hour of Reckoning: From Rhetoric to Revolution-

For too long, Africa has been described as a continent “rising” yet never ascending. Why? Because we confuse motion with progress. Summits abound, yet farmers in Malawi, students in Dakar, and miners in Zambia still ask: “When does the promise become reality?”

Conference Theme: “Democracy in Sub-Saharan Afrika: Challenges and the Post-Apartheid Democratic Dispensation”

Africa’s democratic journey has been shaped by colonial legacies, liberation struggles, and the post-apartheid era.

Yet, despite these aspirations, governance challenges remain:
✓ Corruption and elite capture siphon Africa’s wealth.
✓ Socio-economic inequality fuels unrest.
✓ Weak institutions hinder democratic consolidation.

Critical Challenges in 21st-Century African Governance-

✓ Elite state capture and political factionalism stagnate progress.
✓ Unemployment and economic distress drive migration crises and social unrest.
✓ Over-reliance on foreign aid fosters complacency among leadership.
✓ Geopolitical instability, particularly in South Africa, underscores the urgent need for governance reforms that prioritize innovation over dependency.

Post-Apartheid Democratic Stewardship-
South Africa’s post-apartheid transformation has fallen short of its socio-economic promises.

The ANC, once a symbol of resistance, now struggles with internal divisions, economic inequality, and governance failures.
Its ability to reclaim its integrity is crucial for fulfilling the democratic aspirations of its citizens.

Resistance and Democratic Reform Movements-

Harsh economic policies, austerity measures, and corruption have fueled mass protests across Africa.

Civil society, trade unions, and digital activism—especially among Generation Z—demand governance reforms.
✓ Kenya’s anti-austerity movements have inspired broader resistance against economic exploitation and neo-colonial policies.
✓ The Sahel’s Sovereignty Movement highlights the failure of externally imposed governance models.

✓ Their struggle against economic exploitation and political subjugation signals Africa’s need for independent, people-driven governance.

Building the People’s Republic of Africa-

The formation of the Sahel Confederation reflects Africa’s growing resolve to break from foreign control.

Advocates for African unity push for a self-sufficient economic and political bloc.

This movement seeks to:
✓ Dismantle artificial colonial borders.
✓ Promote industrialization and self-sufficiency.
✓ Establish an African-led governance framework, free from neo-colonial influence.

The Time for Action is Now-

African leaders must realize:
We talk, we debate, we tell stories—but where is our praxis? In other parts of the world, the people’s voices are interwoven with disciplined trade union movements.

Governments there fear deceiving the masses because they know organized resistance will remove them from office.
In Africa, the opposite is true. We must reverse this dynamic. We must show action.

The Battle for Tomorrow Begins Today-

Comrades, Africa’s future will not be gifted—it must be seized.

Winnie Mandela and Harriet Tubman did not fight for survival;
they fought so that we might thrive.
Let us honor them not with platitudes but with action.

Let 2063 begin now—in classrooms where children learn, in fields where farmers labor, in streets where youth march.

Some recommendations for good governance in Africa-

Anti-Corruption & Institutional Reforms-
• Establish a constitutionally-backed anti-corruption framework with strict enforcement and severe penalties.
• Implement a meritocratic system in public institutions and security services.

Job Creation –
Put emphasis on TVET institutions and polytechnics to provide hands-on training in construction, engineering, and rural infrastructure development.
• Establish skill-based employment programs in rural communities.

• Organized and attractive agricultural programs for the youth.

Proposed Afro – Centric Constitutional Reforms-

Rethinking Africa’s governance structure, transitioning from a democratic fragile system of four or five year cycle to a model of people-centered democracy and equitable one.

• A progressively inclusive people-centered constitutional construct is advocated, to depart from an elitist deep seated, neocolonial programmed democracy.
• The electoral processes and system ought to be decolonized and overhaul and – owned by citizens to ensure Equity & Fairness.
• Voters in provinces should be clustered as one, to avoid disproportionate influence from a few dominant areas.
  This model eliminates illegal practices such as ballot stuffing in strongholds of political parties.

People Centered Decentralization & Governance Reforms-

• Elect Provincial and Municipal heads to enhance local accountability.

• Strengthen the National or State Development Planning Commission (N/SDPC), – with data collection centers – to enforce policy implementation across all governance levels and refer abusers of government policy to the Law.

Traditional & Alternative Governance Integration-

• Integrate traditional rulers with gender parity into the decentralized local government administration to incorporate indigenous governance wisdom.

• Institutionalize Traditional Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) for land, family, and chieftaincy disputes, reducing pressure on the judiciary.

• Transform prisons into correctional centers with skills training/ empowerment and monitored community reintegration programs.
Prisons should be viewed as an opportune space for National or State development.
Prisons technical tools or measures could be employed to use already professional expertise in the prisons, to enhance state socio-economic transformation.

Conscious Civic Participation & National Engagement-

• Dedicated Voluntary Work Days (e.g., Independence Day) for community service, reinforcing civic responsibility.

Diaspora & Pan-African Inclusion-

• Encourage Afro- descendant to hold dual citizenship to participate in local governance and bring global expertise into national development (the role of Padmore and DuBois in Nkrumah’s government can’t be underestimated).

The sleeping giant stirs.

Let us rise together to build a People’s Republic of Africa—where every child eats, every elder is honored, and every citizen thrives.

As an emphasis, Africa in her large wealth remains under siege, not via transformational redemptive systems, rather by systemic designed disadvantaged economic albatrosses around her neck to keep her weak, fragmented, underdeveloped mostly ruled by weak and timid leadership.

The images of stagnation, the cycles of poverty and despair are always knocking at family doors, —sadness staring at us everyday.

The independence that was fought for, isn’t breathing life into every African.
It is narrowed to an elite class in possession of government attorney.

The political independence of States in Africa must be meaningful underpinned with economic freedom – sayeth – Prophet Kwame Nkrumah.

With patriotic love and heart, the progressive African home and in the Afro descendant territories, should bear in mind that – henceforth, Africa One Federal Republic.

Attention – the Berlin or Congo boundary inspectors should be advised to allow for free movement of goods and services across the continent.

Hence, in the 10th Conference of UNISA;
We resolve that:
Africa is One Country, with Provinces.

The African Province of South Africa,

The African Province of Botswana,

The African Province of Namibia,

The African Province of Nigeria,

The African Province of Ghana,

The African Province of Burkina Faso,

The African Province of Senegal,

The African Province of Zimbabwe,

The African Province of Saharawi Arab Republic, and so on –

Forwardly, conscience mandate on a non fragmented Berlin or Congo Conference divide and conquer continent – established as a single and united Country – Female President, H.E. Mama Nkozasana Dlamini Zuma.

Amandla! Awethu!

Power to the People!

Thank you.

Address by:
Benjamin Anyagre Aziginaateeg,
CEO, AfriKan Continental Union Consult -ACUC-