ICYMI | Capricorn FM joined the @ULvarsity Graduate School of Leadership where Professor Hlengani Mathebula was in conversation with Statistician General Mr. Risenga Maluleke to unpack issues such as crime, unemployment and economic impact of power outage faced by South Africans.
ON THE UNITED STATES OF SOUTH AFRICA (THE USSA)?
Did you know that the name South Africa once included all the countries that now constitute South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia?
Think about it: what if we went back to this and built ourselves a massive Federation? This would be a massive Federation with a population of 120 million people and about 20 Provinces, uniting African Families, Clans, and Nations, with each Nation (so-called Tribe, having it's own Province/State).
If you look closely, these countries either already are formally members of the Rand Monetary Union (Common Monetary Area) or are using the Rand as an official currency (like Zimbabwe and Nam). That would mean the Rand becomes legal tender in a massive market of at least 120 million people.
This would also mean one telephone code, meaning that not only would mobile phone companies have subscribers up to 100 million each (most people have more than one subscription), but you will be able to make your calls across the region at the same tarrif, and even drive tarrif prices down.
Even more beautiful, there would be a faster goods transit (no border delays), a massive local market, and even more important, consistent policies governing our natural resources, so much that we will not be bullied by Western countries or corporations so that they can exploit our resources while living us poor.
This would also mean Africans can even nationalise our mines (or at least get a larger share) without having to fear being bullied or sanctoned (its always easier to bully a small country than a large one - ask Russia).
But that is not all, think about it: most of us in this region share not only similar languages, but even surnames, ancestors, chiefs, and kings. I mean, think of all Batswana in both SA, Botswana and Zimbabwe having their own Province/State.
Think of the Tsonga in SA, Zimbabwe and Mozambique having their own Province/State. All BaKalanga in Zimbabwe and Botswana, their own Province. All Vhavenda in Zimbabwe and SA their own Province. All Basotho in SA and Lesotho having their own Province. etc.
Then you obviously retain the major cities as Federal Capital Territories governed by the Federal Government and being where all language groups (Nations) meet on an equal footing.
Examples would be Gauteng, the City of Bulawayo, Harare, etc, something similar to Washington DC, Canberra in Australia, New Dehli in India, Ottawa in Canada, Bern in Switzerland or Brasilia in Brazil.
This of course this will go a long way not only reuniting African Families, Clans and Nations broken up and divided by European borders, but will also ensure that dictatorships that rely on ethnolinguistic majority/miniority relationships to retain control are overthrown (e.g., in Zimbabwe the regime relies on the Shona majority to keep power).
Back to natural resources (minerals for example): this would mean that we have consistent policies governing Diamonds, Gold, Coal, Platinum, Lithium, etc, and we can simply say to whoever wants it, buy it in Rand or you don't get it (driving up the value of the Rand and our buying power).
Even more so, when our SOEs now control most of these mineral and other natural resources, this will mean that Africans are genuinely able to benefit from their resources instead of all of them being controlled by Western corporations and all profits shipped to London, New York, and Washington DC.
But to get here we need more power. To get more power we definitely need a larger population, more consistent policies, a strong government, a larger and stronger military, superior education, science and technology (yes, including the N-bomb), and unity among us Africans, etc.
We could even add Zambia, Malawi, and Angola and lift up our population to 200 million, making us the world's 8th largest country after China, India, USA, Indonesia, Pakistan, Brazil and Nigeria. This can be replicated in East Africa, West Africa, etc.
The truth is, all these European borders we have are designed not to benefit Africans, but to keep us tiny and divided and easily exploitable by the Europeans and Americans, and unfortunately, now the Chinese. Your thoughts?
Whats for breakfast this morning? @mrmajo_AF is serving you the #CapricornSunrise joined by @DitebogoRatheko and Tukisho Murapama on Limpopo's Hottest Frequency.
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