Zuma praises Ghana's support for Morocco in Western Sahara dispute
Image: MK Party.
Former president Jacob Zuma has described the MK Party as 'the only true hope for the last stage of the total liberation of the South African people' and a 'genuine continuation of the liberation struggle'.
Zuma, the MK Party leader, was delivering the eighth Annual Leadership Lecture at the University of Professional Studies in Accra, Ghana, on Tuesday. He praised the party's manifesto - known as the People's Mandate - as the foundation of its vision and policy direction.
The manifesto outlines plans to reclaim dignity, land and mineral resources, people's power, the economy, human capital and technological capacity, public spaces, safety and security, as well as South Africa's sovereignty and its position in 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 took aim at the newly formed Government of National Unity (GNU), calling it a 'compromised' arrangement and contrasting it with MKP, which he said upheld the 'spirit of our forebears to deliver full freedom, dignity and prosperity to every South African'.
Zuma also reflected on South Africa's growing relationship with Ghana, highlighting more than 20 bilateral agreements in areas such as trade, defence, agriculture, and ICT - including a recent visa waiver for ordinary passport holders.
Since 2019, cooperation between the two countries has been elevated to a presidential-level Bi-National Commission, Zuma said, enabling real accountability and progress.
'These agreements matter not just on paper, but in action - driving economic integration, tech exchange, cultural bonds and stronger people-to-people links,' he said.
Zuma commended Ghana for its stance on the Western Sahara dispute, backing Morocco's autonomy plan over the separatist agenda.
'Some may disagree, but I say: Africa must not be divided for the convenience of outsiders. 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,' Zuma said.
He warned against external interference in African affairs, declaring: 'The days of Africa dancing to foreign drums are over. We shall beat our own drum.'
Zuma also called on African nations to unite against Western dominance.
'The West built its power by chaining Africa. The new generation of Africans must build our power by breaking those chains,' he said.
'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.'
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