African Unity Day took place at a time when our continent is passing through a testing and challenging stage. The events in North Africa, in particular Libya and Ivory Coast should serve as a reminder that the journey is still long before it could be uhuru.  We are not ignorant of the worrying situation in Sudan and some other parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The world’s most prospective failed State, Somalia, is found here in our continent.

Africans ought to learn how to support, trust each other and stand by one another against any political or military offensive coming from outside the boundaries of the continent. History will deliver a resounding majority verdict that as Africans, we did not do enough to protect the people in Ivory Coast, Libya and elsewhere in the Continent.

Our participation in the multilateral platforms must not expose any of the African States to potential manipulation and exploitation by other world’s States which are interested in our natural resources more than any other thing. We must use this Africa month to call for peace in our sister countries which are experiencing conflicts. Dialogue is the most trusted and feasible passage to peaceful solutions to all violent challenges facing some of our African nations.

Military interventions cause more deaths of civilian populations. Any use of military force to resolve political problems must be criticised and discouraged without any hesitation. We condemn any use of force against unarmed civilians. Many Africans are in refugee camps because of failure to employ dialogue to resolve differences.

It cannot be true that Africans must migrate from one refugee camp to another, with mothers carrying their children, without anything except for their worn clothes. No African child must grow up in a refugee camp. The African Child, just like any other child in the developed nations must grow up in a stable and peaceful environment.

We should learn to resolve our differences through consensus and political dialogue. In this regard, we will be on the right course to meet the Millennium Development Goals. African children deserve the right to go to school, access healthcare and recreational facilities. No child should be used as a soldier, a worker or sex slave.

From time immemorial, Africa has been viewed as a storehouse of raw materials for the first world countries, in particular the western forces. Offers to invest in the economy of the continent have been, in all respect, attached to heavy political strings, which are meant to further dependency on former colonial principles. Some of the civil wars that have ravaged the beautiful continent have been planned, funded and sustained by the colonizers, who never accepted to accord Africa full independence and respect for their sovereign rights. In order to claim cheap political mileage, they stood up in numerous platforms praising themselves for building the Continent and handing it back to indigenous people, whilst they knew what exactly they were doing.

We have all reasons to celebrate the legacy that has been left for us by great African leaders who deserve salute from all African generations. It is on this note that, we should dedicate African Unity  Day celebration to all leaders of the African continent who fought against colonisation of Africa against all odds. We salute Patrice Lumumba, Samora Machel, Aguostino Neto, Eduardo Mondlana, Ahmed Ban Bela, Modibo Keita, Robert Mugabe, Joshua Nkomo, Seretse Kgama, Kenneth Kaunda, Albert Luthuli, OR Tambo, Nelson Mandela, Goven Mbeki, Jomo Kenyatta, Kwame Krumah, Sekou Toure, Julius Nyerere, Amilcar Cabral, Colonel Gaddafi, Kgotsikgolo Moshoeshoe and many others.

We also salute the Khoi and the San people who fell victim to the worst atrocious genocide in the history of our land. We live every day motivated by the courage they displayed in fighting for our freedom and independence.

We also salute all traditional leaders of the continent who fought fearlessly in defense of their motherland. They fought  against colonialism and secured the independence of their countries from the colonial masters. Unfortunately some of them were assassinated or deposed by forces sponsored by the defeated former architects of colonialism.

We must appreciate the fact that our continent has gone through many dark chapters. As we celebrate Africa Unity Day, we must always inject a historical connotation in our celebration without any fear of contradiction. We must use our history of oppression, struggle, and economic exclusion to define the present and shape the future.

As Africans, we should appreciate the fact that we are one big nation that amongst others should refuse all forms of xenophophia, but rather, act jointly to ensure that we remain united like never before. First and foremost, we must be united before we can invite others to join in the unity. In the event we find ourselves still locked in intra-continental differences, the dream of forging the unity of the continent will never come true.

The sooner we accept that we must liberate ourselves from the situation we are presently in, some of which is not of our own making, the better. Yes, it is true that we could have done much more better in our own right to improve the quality of life of our people, but unfortunately that was not to be.

We owe the young generation and the future generation better living conditions that reflect the fact that Africa is where human life commenced. We must ensure that young people have access to education that will ultimately lead to vibrant opportunities.

We have promising organisations in the name of the African Union, SADC, ECOWAS, COMESA, Economic Community of Central African States, and East African Community. Most of all, we have policies in place to put the African Continent on the new economic growth trajectory, which will provide our people with decent job opportunities.

In the past years, it has been very difficult to find common ground on the real integration of our economy. But we have full trust in the political leadership of the continent that a concrete solution will be found for which our people have waited for long.

We have all the necessary raw materials the world needs; we have a rich agrarian soil; we only need the will and ambition to do it for ourselves. We cannot afford to continue relying on other continents. There is overwhelming evidence that some of the first world countries are here to exploit us rather than to support us.

We have to discover new frontiers in the course of fighting poverty amongst our people. We have to build modern infrastructure as part of developing the lives of our people. We must provide health and schooling infrastructure for the people.

My fellow Africans, we have the tenacity to make our continent a better place. As we celebrate African Unity Day, we should do so mindful of the fact that we have our brothers and sisters in Diaspora and many other countries of whom we have many things in common. We should also keep in our thoughts our brothers and sisters in Haiti who are still recovering from the tragic earthquake.

We must forge ahead motivated by our resolute determination to make the African continent a better place. We should never lose sight of the fact that we have rightfully claimed this 21st century to be our century. Our actions and approach to issues must uphold our objective of building an African continent which is the firm centre of economic attraction and concentration.Working together, we can do more for our continent!

By Mr Cassel Mathale
Premier of Limpopo.