I-Afrika negxathu elimqoka kwezomnotho
Kuntwela ezansi ngezomnotho ezwenikazi I-Afrika
ENKULUMWENI yakhe yangonyaka we-1963, loyo owayenguMengameli wokuqala wezwe laseGhana ekhululekile, u-Osagyefo Nkwame Nkrumah waphawula ukuthi yize imqoka inkululeko yezombusazwe , kepha okumqoka kakhulu yinkululeko yezomnotho. Kule minyaka le nkulumo ilokhu inkenteza emadlebeni abaholi base-Afrika. Phakathi kokunye kufakazelwe wuhlelo olwethulwe emhlanganweni we-African Union (AU) obusedolobheni laseGoli ngeledlule. Kulo mhlangano kumenyezelwe ukuqala kwezingxoxo zohlelo lokuhwebelana okukhululekile kanti zizoqala ngaphansi kohlelo iContinental Free Trade Area (CFTA).
Lolu hlelo luthathwa ngabaningi njengokuphokophela ukufezekiswa kwephupho labaholi bezwekazi nelimbandakanya ukuhwebelana kwamazwe ase-Afrika nobekuyinto engenzeki. Ziningi izizathu ebezibikwa ekuhlukeni kokuhwebelana kwamazwe ase-Afrika. Ezinye zalezi zizathu wukufakwa konyawo ngamazwe aseNtshonalanga nabelokhu esolwa ngokununusela amazwe athize ase-Afrika nobekugcina kufadalale izingxoxo kanye nezihlelo zezwekazi. Ephawula ngalokho, ungoti wezomthetho kanye nezomnotho, nobuye abenguSihlalo weKwaZulu-Natal Planning Commision, uSolwazi uBonke Dumisa, uthe kuningi okumelwe kwenziwe ukuze uhlelo lokuhwebelana luphumelele,
“Njengoba amazwe aseNingizimu ne-Afrika esahlulwa ukuhwebelana ngokukhululeka nangokulandela imigomo ebekwe yiSADC, ngeke kube lula ukusebenza kweCFTA” kubeka uDumisa. Lo ngoti uphethe ngokuthi: “ Ohulumeni ngaphambi kokuthi baqale izingxoxo zokuvula imakethe yase-Afrika kumele baqale balungise izinto ekhaya. Uma ubuka eNingizimu ne-Afrika, kuseyinkinga ukuthi iNingizimu Afrika ihwebelane ngokukhululeka neSwaziland, iZambia neZimbabwe. Kangakanani-ke uma sesifuna ukuhwebelana namazwe aseNyakatho ne-Afrika, kuzoba nezingqinamba eziningi ezidalwa ezombusazwe emazweni amaningi ase-Afrika. Kulula kakhulu ukuhwebelana namazwe ase-Europe uma kuqhathaniswa nawase-Afrika. Ngokubona kwami zinhle izingxoxo ezihlelwayo kodwa angiboni zizokhiqiza izithelo uma kungalungiswa izimo zezombusazwe emazweni ase-Afrika,” kuphetha uSolwazi uDumisa .
Loyo okhulumele iPhini likaSihlalo we-AU, uMhlonishwa u-Erastus Mwencha ukhumbuze abaholi ngobunzima kwezokuthutha phakathi kwamazwe ase-Afrika. Lapha uveze isithombe sokuthi usomabhizinisi wase-Afrika ubhekana nezingqinamba eziningi kakhulu uma efuna ukuhwebelana nomunye usomabhizinisi wezwekazi i-Afrika uma kuqhathaniswa nabamazwe aphesheya kwezilwandle. ICFTA, uma iphumelela, izoba yithuluzi lokulekelela amazwe ase-Afrika ukuthi ahwebelane ngokukhululeka kanti kuhloswe ukuthi izingxoxo ngayo ziphothulwe ngowezi-2017.
Ekhuluma emhlanganweni we-AU ngeledlule, uMengameli waseSenegal, uMack Sall uveze ukuthi okwamanje amazwe ase-Afrika ahwebelana ngengcosana yempahla nokumbiwa phansi okungamaphesenti ayi-12 ekhulwini. Lesi sithombe siveza iqiniso lokuthi ngamazwe aseNtshonalanga ikakhulukazi eYurophu asasazuza ngokuhwebelana ne-Afrika. UMengameli uSall uthe mayelana nesidingo kanye nobumqoka kweCFTA: “Manje sibhekene nenselelo yokwenza i-CFTA ibe yinto ebonakalayo. Enye into ebalulekile ngokuhwebelana yingqalasizinda. Ngaphandle kwesingqalasizinda, ukuhwebelana phakathi kwamazwe ase-Afrika ngeke kwenzeke.”
Kuwo lo mhlangano wamazwe ase-Afrika, umengameli waseKenya, u-Uhuru Kenyatta uthe ukuqiniswa kohwebo kuzokwandisa amathuba emisebenzi, ukuzwana nokuthula phakathi kwamazwe, kuphinde kuthuthukise nezolimo. OkaKenyatta uthe ukuze amazwe aphumelele ngokushesha e-Afrika kumele kususwe imigoqo yezomnotho esiphenduke ingqinamba. “Ngingaqinisekisa wonke umuntu ukuthi iCFTA, uma izolandelwa, izohlomulisa amazwe amancane namakhulu. Kumele sisuse imigoqo nemingcele esizakhele yona, engathi shu.”
Ngakolunye uhlangothi loyo onguNgqongqoshe wezangaPhandle eGhana, u-Anna Tetteh uthe iCFTA izoba yinqola yokuthutha intsha ngokomnotho, yakhelwe imsebenzi ithole impilo engcono.
UNobhala woPhiko olubhekele ukuthuthuka kwe-Afrika kwezomnotho, iUnited Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), uMhlonishwa uCarlsos Lopez ukwamukele ukuvulwa kwezingxoxo zeCFTA ebeka ukuthi izwekazi selihambe ibanga elide lokukhula ngokomnotho kodwa ‘ngeke usimame ngaphandle kokwakhiwa kwemakethe yase Afrika.’
Ukwethulwa kweCTFA kwakhelwe kulokho osekuqalwe ngamanye amazwe kwezinye izifunda e-Afrika. Amazwe akhele isifunda esiseNtshonalanga aziwa ngokuthi yi-Community of West African States (ECOWAS) nahlanganisa amazwe ayishumi nanhlanu asevele anencwadi eyimvume yokungena nokuphuma kwabantu nempahla esifundeni sawo. Kanti kukhona futhi ukusebenzisana phakathi kwamazwe asesifundeni esiseNingizimu abizwa ngeSouthern African Development Community (SADC) kanye nalawo asempumalanga ne-Afrika abizwa ngeEast Africa Community.
La mazwe akulezi zifunda asebenzisana ngaphansi kweTripartite Free Trade Agreement (T-FTA) phakathi kwenhlangano yamazwe aseNingizimu ne-Afrika iSouthern African Development Community (SADC), iCommon Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, kanye ne-East Africa Community.
Ngokwezinkomba, ukuhwebelana ngaphansi kwe T-FTA kuzohlanganisa izimakethe zamazwe angama-26 nokungamazwe anabantu abafinyelela ezigidini ezingama-600. Umholo walamazwe wenza imali ecela ku-$1 trillion. Kanti lokhu kungenza umnotho we-Afrika uhlomule ngo-$2.6 trillion.
Umbiko we-Africa Competitiveness wangonyaka wezi-2013 uthi: “Noma bekhona abakungabazayo ukukhula komnotho wase-Afrika, ubufakazi bokukhula komnotho wezwekazi kungephikiswe. Esikhathini sakamuva lapho amazwe amaningi elinyazwe ukuntengantenga kwamandla emali, umnotho we-Afrika usukhule waphindaphindeka kathathu uma uqhathaniswa nesikhathi sonyaka wezi-2000.”
INingizimu Afrika ibamba iqhaza elimqoka ekufezekiseni iphupho lokusebenzisana nokuhwebelana kwamazwe ase-Afrika. Ngokocwaningo lweTrade Law Centre, iNingizimu Afrika, i-Angola, iTanzania kanye neZambia yiwona mazwe aseNingizimu ne-Afrika angena ohlwini lwamazwe ayikhulu ahamba phambili ngokuhwebelana emhlabeni. Nxa sibuka eNingizimu Afrika, phakathi kwamabhizisi akuleli azihola phambili e-Afrika kubalwa inkampani kagesi i-Eskom Enterprises, i-Illovo Sugar, i-Italtile, iMetro Cash and Carry, iMTN Group noPick ‘n Pay. Lezi zinkampani nezinye zitholaka emazweni amaningi e-Afrika nokwenza zingabi yizinkampani zaseNingizimu Afrika kuphela kepha kube ngezezwekazi.
UMqondisi Omkhulu esikhungweni i-Institute for Global Dialogue ( IGD) uDkt Siphamandla Zondi uthe izithelo zokuhwebelana okukhululekile phakathi kwamazwe ase-Afrika kungabonakala maduze njengoba amazwe esethathe igxathu lokuqala lokuvuma ukuthi ayadingana. UDkt uZondi uthe: “Kumanje iNingizimu Afrika idinga uwoyela, engawuthola emazweni amaphakathi nentshonalanga ye-Afrika okubalwa kuwo iGabon neNigeria kunokuwulanda e-Iran. I-Angola yona idinga ubuchwepheshe engabuthola eNingizimu Afrika kodwa ibuthola ePortugal. Okwesibili okuzolandela manje ngukuthi bathathe izinqumo ezizoba ngumhlahlandlela wokuthi kuzohwebelwana kanjani ngokukhululeka ngoba kusenezingqinamba eziningi ekuthutheni impahla nokungena kwabantu emingceleni yamazwe ase-Afrika”.
Yize libukeka lilide ibanga elisazohanjwa ngamazwe akuleli lizwekazi ekuqinisekiseni ubunye nokuhwebelana, indlela iya ngokukhanya.