Your Excellency,
I write to you today not merely as a Ugandan, but as a Pan-African journalist deeply concerned by the unfolding anti-immigration protests in South Africa and the growing rhetoric directed against fellow Africans living and working there.
Your Excellency, this is an urgent appeal.
For decades, you have stood among the foremost advocates of African unity, integration, and cooperation.
Long before it became fashionable to speak about continental free movement and economic integration, you consistently reminded Africans that our prosperity, security, and future lie in working together rather than retreating behind artificial colonial borders.
You belong to a generation of African leaders that witnessed and participated in some of the continent’s defining struggles.
You interacted with and learned from giants such as Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, Kenneth Kaunda, Samora Machel, and Nelson Mandela. You understand better than many of today’s young Africans the sacrifices that were made to liberate this continent from colonialism, apartheid, and racial domination.
Your Excellency, many Ugandans and Africans are troubled by the current developments in South Africa.
Across the continent, nations stood with South Africans during the darkest years of apartheid. African countries opened their doors to South African freedom fighters, offered diplomatic support, financial assistance, training facilities, and political solidarity.
The liberation of South Africa was celebrated not as a South African victory alone, but as an African victory.
It is therefore painful to witness fellow Africans increasingly portrayed as enemies and targets simply because they crossed a border in search of opportunity, safety, or livelihood.
I respectfully urge you to publicly comment on these developments. Your voice carries immense moral authority across Africa. At a moment when emotions are rising and dangerous narratives are gaining ground, silence may be interpreted as indifference. Africa needs elder statesmen to speak clearly and courageously in defence of unity, peace, and fraternity among African peoples.
I also respectfully appeal to you to engage the Government of South Africa and encourage it to rise to the occasion.
Legitimate concerns regarding immigration, unemployment, and public services must be addressed through lawful and institutional means.
No society benefits when citizens take the law into their own hands or when vulnerable communities become targets of intimidation and hostility. South Africa’s leadership has a responsibility to restore calm, uphold the rule of law, and protect all persons within its borders.
Equally important, Your Excellency, is the need to educate younger generations about the Pan-African vision. Many of the young people participating in these demonstrations were born long after the liberation struggles.
They may not fully appreciate the history of African solidarity, the interconnectedness of our economies, or the dangers of xenophobia.
They need to hear from leaders who lived through these struggles and who can explain why the dream of African unity remains relevant today.
The consequences of division are enormous. If Africans begin viewing one another as rivals and intruders rather than partners, the continent’s aspirations for integration, industrialisation, trade expansion, and collective prosperity will suffer greatly. The enemies of African progress have always thrived when Africans are divided against one another.
Your Excellency, I therefore make this appeal with urgency and humility. The moment calls for wisdom. It calls for leadership. It calls for elder statesmen to guide the continent away from a path that could undermine decades of Pan-African progress.
History has entrusted your generation with lessons that must not be lost. Today, more than ever, Africa needs those lessons.
I remain hopeful that you will lend your voice to this important cause.
Yours faithfully,
Kungu Al-Mahadi Adam
Pan-African Journalist
Uganda
