Understanding South Africa's Challenges and the Need for Unity

I can see why some Africans think that leaders like Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma and Andile Somgxada, Sandile Dube, should face punishment for the harm they cause to other Black people.

But the African National Congress (ANC) and the government they lead, allowed these leaders to act without restraint.

If M&M had aimed their hate and violence at South African White-owned companies like Gold Fields, Sibanye-Stillwater, and Valterra Platinum, would the ANC have accepted it? Definitely not!

Under Jacob Zuma’s rule, thirty-four miners were killed on August 16, 2012, in Marikana while fighting for better pay and working conditions.

In January 2025, with Ramaphosa as president, 246 illegal miners were rescued, but at least seventy-eight others died in an abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein. This tragedy happened because police delayed rescue efforts, blocked exits, and cut off food and water for the miners for over a month.

So why didn’t the ANC take real action against M&M? The answer is mostly in the quick change in the ANC's direction and its shift towards wealth.

Right-wing White racists helped the ANC with this change by killing Chris Hani, who was a key leader in the anti-apartheid struggle. Hani was also the head of the South African Communist Party and the Chief of Staff of UMkhonto we Sizwe.

He was murdered by Janusz Walus, a far-right Polish immigrant, with a gun provided by Clive Derby-Lewis from the Conservative Party. After Hani’s death, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela faced trials, humiliation, and disgrace.

This was because she constantly opposed the ANC’s surrender to White monopoly capitalism and insisted that the ANC must act to improve the lives of Black South Africans.

Madikizela-Mandela’s disgrace was followed by the expulsion of Julius Malema in 2012, the former ANC Youth Leader. He was kicked out for causing division, but the real reason was his criticism of the ANC’s weak stance on important issues.

The ANC’s shift away from its original purpose coincided with its turn towards wealth. The party still pays attention to parts of 'The Freedom Charter' that talk about democracy, good governance, and human rights.

But the parts that focus on real economic freedom and better living conditions for Black South Africans are mostly ignored.

This has led to high poverty rates, unemployment, family breakdowns, and crime among Black South Africans.

Poverty among Black South Africans is around 64.2 percent. That means about 29.6 million Black South Africans live below the upper poverty line in 2025/2026.

At the same time, 48.8 percent, or 10.8 million Black South Africans, live below the lower poverty line. Among these, women make up between 48.8 to 64.2 percent of the poor.

In contrast, White South Africans have a poverty rate of just 1.4 percent. Black South Africans, who are 82 percent of the population or around 51.6 million in 2025, account for 93.6 percent of all poor people in the country.

Meanwhile, White South Africans, who make up just 4.5 percent or about 4.5 million people, control over 70 percent of the land and wealth. Just like in the Apartheid era, 9 percent of White South Africans control the economy.

The unemployment rate is 32.4 percent in 2025, with 38 to 40.2 percent being Black South Africans. White South Africans make up about 5.9 percent of the unemployed, while Coloureds are at 21 percent and Indian/Asian South Africans are around 6 to 7 percent.

Black South African women face an unemployment rate of 40.2 percent, yet they lead about 42.3 to 43.4 percent of the households in a population of around 63.1 million.

This means many Black South African children are raised by their mothers or grandmothers without fathers.

While poverty and unemployment are also high in Nigeria, the Nigerian economy relies more on labor. South Africa’s economy is more focused on capital.

Nigeria has a large informal economy that provides over 90 percent of jobs, while South Africa’s informal economy is about 21.4 percent and is heavily regulated.

This makes it hard for poor Black South Africans to survive. The ongoing decline of Black South Africans matches the ANC's decline. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), led by Malema, came onto the scene in 2013, while the uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Party, led by Jacob Zuma, was registered on September 7, 2023.

The ANC has lost many seats in the National Assembly, going from 279 out of 400 seats in 2004 to 264 in 2009, 249 in 2014, and just 159 in 2024.

This decline has happened alongside an increase in Afrophobic and xenophobic violence in 1995, 1998, 2000, late 2005 and early 2006, 2008, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021 to 2024, and 2026. This shows the ANC's struggle to stay relevant with Black South Africans, leading to its tolerance of Afrophobia and Negrophobia.

African countries and peoples must stand together against Afrophobia and Negrophobia like they did against Apartheid.

We can count on the support of Africans in the Americas and others who want freedom. But the main responsibility lies with us, Africans.

We should not rely on European Union countries or celebrate their restrictions against South Africans. As Frantz Fanon said, we must “Leave this Europe where they are never done talking of Man, yet murder men everywhere they find them.”

Also, Western Europe and North America know that if Afrophobia and Negrophobia in South Africa are not dealt with, it could lead to Europhobia and loss of their power in South Africa.

The ANC leaders, not the ordinary people, should be held accountable for Afrophobia and Negrophobia. We should forgive the people involved in these violent acts.

Black South Africans are, as Owei Lakemfa said, “our brothers and sisters, so when we correct them, it should be with love. It should be like a mother chiding her child.”

The continent must focus on a bigger vision of Pan-African unity, integration, and a New World Order built on peace, sovereignty, human rights, and social justice.

To solve Afrophobia and Negrophobia in South Africa, we must implement the key parts of 'The Freedom Charter.' This involves decolonizing and moving past apartheid for Black South Africans.

We need to rebuild Black families, strengthen Ubuntu practices, and educate Black South Africans to see themselves as part of the African family.

Until these changes happen, Afrophobia and Negrophobia will continue to grow, and South Africa will remain a “Whiteman’s country” led by Black men and women.