Johannesburg – Former African Union chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has called for unity among Africans as the continent marked Africa Day amid tensions over anti-foreign protests in South Africa.
Speaking to Newzroom Afrika on Monday, Dlamini-Zuma said Africans should remember their shared identity despite colonial borders created during the Berlin Conference.
“We are all Africans, that is our first identity. We are in different countries because a conference in Berlin divided Africa among the colonisers. Before then, we were Africans, and we must remember that and work together as Africans to create the Africa we want,” she said.
Dlamini-Zuma urged South Africans to recognise that they are part of the African continent, saying some people wrongly view Africa as separate from South Africa.
[WATCH] “We are all Africans. That is our first identity. We are different countries because there was a conference in Berlin that divided Africa among the colonisers.” Dlamini-Zuma says we must all work together to create the Africa we want.#Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/lI0XoHbtJ9
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) May 25, 2026
The remarks come as several African countries raise concerns about anti-foreigner protests in South Africa, with Ghana offering to repatriate its citizens.
The ANC also used Africa Day to call for cooperation across the continent to address issues such as illegal immigration, wars, poverty, climate change and coups.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
