Kulindelwe lukhulu ku-AU nonyaka
Kule mpelasonto i-African Union (AU) izobamba ingqungquthela ephezulu yaminyaka yonke nehlelelwe ukudingida okumele kwenzeke nokuzokwenziwa yile Nhlangango nonyaka. Isimo esisekhona sokhuvethe sisaqhubekile nokuphoqa omengameli bamanzwe ukuthi babambe imihlangano efana nalena ngezindlela zokuxhumana kunokuba kuhlanganwe ekomkhulu le-AU e-Addis Ababa, njengenjwayelo yangaphambili. Le Ngqungquthela ibalulekile ngezizathu ezithize ezahlukene, nesizozichaza kafuphi kulo mbhalo.
Le Ngqungquthela ibhekwe ngabovu ngoba kulindeleke ukuba ize nezinguquko kubuholi bale Nhlangano kanye nezinhlaka zayo ezahlukene. Enye yezinguquko, nelula uma iqhathaniswa nezinye, ngeyokuthi kuzoba kule Ngqungquthela lapho iNingizimu Afrika izodlulisela izintambo zokuba uSihlalo we-AU kuDemocratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Noma lolu guquko lokudlulisela isihlalo lulula, engeke ibalekelwe ngeyokuthi kukhona ukukhathazeka ngokuthi iDRC ingase yehluleke ukumelana nazo zonke izinhlelo ze-AU nonyaka ngenxa yezingqinamba kwezepolitiki uHulumeni oholwa uMengameli uTshisekedi obhekene nazo ngaphakathi ezweni. Ngakho-ke, kumele ukuthi uHulumeni waseDRC wesekwe ngamanye amazwe emsebenzini wawo kweze-AU, ikakhulukazi iNingizimu Afrika njengoba bekuyiyo ebambe izintambo nyakenye. Lokho kuzosiza ukuthi kungabikhona izinhlelo eziphazamisekayo ngenxa yokuthi izwe eliwuSihlalo liyehluleka ukuzisingatha ngesinwe.
Enye ephathelene nobuholi, neyenza le Ngqungquthela iphinde ibaluleke ngeyokuthi kuzobe kukhethwa abaholi abasha beKhomishini ye-AU okubalwa uSihlalo kanye nalabo abaphatha iminyango eyahlukene efana neyokwakha ukuthula, ukudlondlobalisa ezomontho, ezobuciko nobuchwepheshe kanye neminye. Okwamanje, uMhlonishwa uMoussa Faki Mahamat kuphela, nonguSihlalo weKhomishini onesiqineseko sokuthi uzoqhubeka esikhundleni akuso ngoba ayikho eyafuna ukumuzwa amandla ngokuthi iqhudelane naye. Kepha kwezinye izikhundla le Ngqungquthela izobhekana nomqhudelwano ‘oweqhatha’ amazwe amakhulu ezwenikazi nokubonakala usuxove ubudlelwano ezifundeni ezikhona ezwenikazi. Isibonelo, iNingizimu Afrika kanye neNigeria, bagaqele isikhundla sikaKhomishana wezokuthula nokuphepha ku-AU, nalapho iNingizimu Afrika yeseka iNxusa uMnu Kingsely Mamabolo, usemkantshubovu kwezase-Afrika, bese kuthi iNigeria yona yeseka iNxusa layo elise-Ethiopia ukuba lingene kulesi sikhundla. Kuzokhunjulwa ukuthi phambilini la mazwe abanga kwaze kwaba sekugcineni isikhundla sikaNobhala Jikelele wokuqala we-African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) nesagcina sitholwe ngowaseNingizimu Afrika. Umqhudelwano wezikhundla awugcini kula mazwe kuphela ngoba usuqhathe ngisho amazwe ayingxenye yesizinda esisodwa. Isibonelo, iNingizimu Afrika neZimbabwe bazobanga isikhundla sikaKhomishana obhekela ezemfundo, isayensi nobuchwepheshe, kuphinde kube yiMauritius kanye neZambia abaqhudelana ngesikhundla sikaKhomishana wezokudlondlobaliswa kwezomnotho, izimboni kanye nezimbiwa. Siyakweshwama lokhu esikubonayo ngoba kwase kuyinto engavamile ezwenikazi, ngoba amazwe aqhamuka esifundeni esisodwa ayekwazi ukuhlala phansi avumelane ngegama elilodwa likalowo azomeseka esikhundleni esithile. Uma isimo sinjena angeke kumangaze uma iNgqungquthela ithatha isinqumo sokuhlehlisa ukhetho izinyanga ezimbalwa – nokuyisinyathelo esake senziwa phambilini – nesingadala ukuthi amazwe agaqele lezi zikhundla, nezifunda ezikhona ezwenikazi zike ziphinde zifakane imilomo ukuze kugwenywe ‘ingxabano’.
Ngaphandle kwalena yezikhundla, le Ngqungquthela ibalulekile ngoba kulindeleke ukuthi omengameli badingide eyezimpi zombango ezikhona ezweni ikakhulukazi lena eyaqubuka e-Ethiopia nyakenye. Koba yiphutha uma le Ngqungquthela iphela ingakwazanga ukudweba umugqa phansi ngokuthi le mpi ekhona e-Ethiopia nesifaka amazwe anjengeSudan, iSomalia kanye ne-Eritrea kumele iphele. Ukuqubuka kwale mpi e-Ethiopia sekube nomthelela ongemuhle ezingxoxweni ezingakaphothulwa phakathi kwaleli lizwe kanye ne-Egypt neSudan ngokusetshenziswa komfula iNile emveni kokuba i-Ethiopia yakha iGrand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Le Ngqungquthela ibanjwa nje izwekazi lisanda kuqala ukuthatha izinyathelo zokufeza eyokuqinisa ukuxhumana kwezomnotho ngaphansi kohlelo i-AfCFTA, ngakho kulindeleke ukuba omengameli bagqugquzele eyokubambana ngezandla ukuze lezi zinhlelo zibe yimpumelelo.
Okokugcina okwenza le Ngqungquthela ibaluleke yisinqumo esathathwa ngowedlule sokuthi ingqikithi ye-AU yonyaka kube ngethi; “Ezobuciko, amasiko namagugu: yisona sisekelo sokwakha i-Afrika esiyifunayo”. Ukugxila engqikithini enjengalena kumele kwenze i-AU namazwe onke ezwenikazi ike ibuyekeze konke esahlulekile ukukwenza ukuze i-Afrika ikwazi ukusebenzisa ubuciko bayo ukubhekana nezingqinamba ezikhona, iphinde futhi ikwazi ukulondoloza kahle lokho okungamafagugu ethu singama-Afrika.
Kumele i-AU isebenzise lo nyaka, ilandela kulesi sinqumo sayo, ukuqinisa imizamo nemikhankaso yokuthi kubuyiselwe ezwenikazi konke okungamagugu kithina kepha okusabalele kwamanye amazwe nokutholaka ezigcinimafeni zakwamanye amazwe okwenza ukuthi ama-Afrika agcine engenalo ulwazi olugcwele ngomlando wethu. Yiwo lo nyaka okuzomele i-AU inxenxe wonke amazwe e-Afrika ukuba eseke ngokugcwele isivumelwano sangaphambili esibizwa ngeCharter for African Cultural Renaissance, ukuze sibe umkhombandlela wakho konke okumele kwenziwe futhi kwenzeke ezwenikazi ukuthuthukisa ezobuciko namagugu okudabuka ezwenikazi.
Njengoba omengameli bezibophezelele ukugxila kwezobuciko namagugu ase-Afrika, koba yiphutha elikhulu uma beqhubeka nokwehluleka ukuqinisa ubudlelwano naMakhosi ahlukene ezwenikazi, ngoba yiwo angabavikeli bamagugu ase-Afrika. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, nawo aMakhosi akhona ezwenikazi kumele asebenzise lo nyaka ukufaka ingcindezi komengameli yokuthi abakwazi ukuhlela, nokukhuluma ngezamagugu namasiko kodwa bangayiphathi eyeqhaza okumele lidlawe ngaMakhosi.