South African opposition leader Julius Malema has urged African nations to unite and resist external influences, particularly from US President Donald Trump, whom he accused of undermining the continent’s sovereignty.
Speaking at the Nigerian Bar Association’s annual conference in Enugu on 24 August, Malema addressed legal practitioners, policymakers, judges, academics, and international guests. He cautioned against bowing to foreign pressures, stating: “We must refuse to be subjects of Trump.” He added: “We must stand together as the world changes and show them that Africa is one and that Africa is equal to all nations, to China, to Russia, to America.”
Malema criticised Trump’s attempts to influence African policies, highlighting Washington’s use of trade tariffs to interfere in South Africa’s race laws and foreign policy. He described such actions as attacks on African sovereignty, emphasising the need for the continent to assert its independence.
Advocating for greater unity, Malema called for a “borderless Africa” with shared institutions. “We demand one Africa, we demand a borderless Africa, we demand an Africa with one president, with one currency, with one military command, with one parliament because we know the currency of Africa will be much more stronger than the American currency,” he said. He argued that a divided continent would continue to lose out, but a united Africa could harness its resource wealth for self-reliance, including processing its own minerals and advancing economic integration through mechanisms like the African Continental Free Trade Area.
In a related address at the same conference, Malema accused global legal institutions of Western bias, disadvantaging the global south. He specifically criticised the International Court of Justice for its slow handling of South Africa’s genocide case against Israel. “International law is swift and ruthless when prosecuting leaders of the global south and yet hesitant and cautious when dealing with crimes committed by Western powers and their allies. This is hypocrisy we must name without fear,” he stated.
Malema urged African legal organisations to reject double standards in international law and to establish their own courts and tribunals. “If the so-called international community is unwilling to deliver justice in real time, then Africa must advance its own court, its own tribunals, its own instruments of solidarity and protection,” he added.
The conference, hosted by the largest professional body of lawyers in Africa with over 120,000 members, serves as a key platform for discussing legal and policy issues. Prior to his speech, Malema paid a courtesy visit to Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah. No specific details on audience reactions were reported.
Malema, has long championed pan-Africanism and economic transformation, often clashing with Western influences in his rhetoric.