Do not crucify South Africa , rather shed tears for it.
When you want to consume a banana, you must first peel and remove the skin that covers the succulent fruit within.
This is because the part of the banana that everyone wants to eat is covered by a thick peel , which acts as a barrier that must be removed before one can access the fruit within.
As the peel is removed layer by layer , the fruit within can be eaten from the moment such peel is first pierced and throughout the removal process , however slow or fast that may occur .
The banana is an analogy for what is currently taking place on our continent.
We need to look at the events occurring in South Africa against the background of what occurred during the days of apartheid in South Africa.
At that time, and while black South Africans struggled for liberation from the horrors of apartheid, the whole of Africa came together and collectively formed a peel around ‘African South Africa’ so that its African majority could focus on and attain their goal of freedom.
The peel created by Africa provided sanctuary, nutrients ( in the form of funding) and access to training and education for those at the forefront of its struggle for freedom .
In Africa’s role as the banana peel , it encouraged and supported those in South Africa that were instrumental in fighting for freedom until a real African was finally installed as President , a first in the history of South Africa .
Once that goal was achieved , the texture of Africa’s peel changed to one that focused on ensuring that the interests of South Africa, as with all other countries in the continent, were protected
Sadly, the recent economic and social challenges facing South Africa have led to a situation where the peel that Africa placed around South Africa is being acrimoniously torn away.
If care is not taken , and without realizing it is happening , South Africa may lose the strength it gains from being protected by the collective power this African peel provides.
The movement that is ripping away this peel has many layers and may indeed have, at its heart, those who want to see a return to the ‘old’
South Africa.
If South Africa black majority is not careful it would have burnt so many bridges that it will no longer be able to rely on Africa’s collective assistance in ensuring they continue to receive the rights they fought so hard to attain .
As Africans we must collectively ensure that the interests of Africa and Africans continue to be protected using an African peel that embraces every country in Africa and which places Africa’s needs, rights and wants first .
We must not condone a situation where the hostility of a vocal minority in one country leads to a belief that its people no longer deserve the protection and brotherhood of their fellow Africans.
We must fight against disunity. We must acknowledge that , by placing all countries in Africa under the ‘banana peel’ of Africa , we have generated a collective armour that protects all Africans from the third party interests that have oppressed our continent for centuries.
Africans must realise that, if we are not careful, what is occurring now in South Africa could spread to other parts of the continent and leave us weaker and more vunerable to the non – African interests that seek to subjugate our continent .
We must accept that what is currently occurring in South Africa is part of an anti – African agenda .
It is sad to note that , in the whole anti – immigrant saga of South Africa, no national of a country outside of Africa has been threatened or included in the list of nationals that must leave South Africa by 30 June 2026 .
We need to understand that there is a strong possibility that Africa’s detractors are working behind the scenes to incite a population that does not understand the strategy at work .
However , in reacting , we believe Africa should forgive them for they know not what they are doing.
That forgiveness must start now, as must the healing process . We cannot afford to let the anger and feelings of betrayal the hostility has caused to solidify into scars that act as a barrier to Africa’s willingness to surround South Africa and incorporate it within the African peel.
We must be patient with South Africa , and hope that, in the near future the curtains covering their people’s eyes will drop and they will realise that, contrary to the misinformation being thrown at them and which has shaped their negative views , their African brothers and sisters are neither their enemies nor responsible for their economic plight .
Africans must remain steadfast in the belief that, despite the noise and provocative statements emanating from that country , South Africans remain our brothers and sisters .
By refusing to react adversely to the antics of a vocal minority in South Africa, Africans will avoid the weapons of mass distraction periodically thrown at Africa whenever it is feared that Africans may actually break free of the shackles that have kept the continent fragmented and under developed.
No matter the short term distractions Africa faces it must remain united.
We owe our children a duty to leave them a continent that meets and exceeds its potential. Africans deserve a continent that is not viewed as subservient to or less than any other continent or nation .
As Africans proclaim our Unity in our different tongues , Ubuntu ( Bantu) Umoja ( Swahili) ịdị n’otu” ( Ibo) Nkabom ( Asante) hadin kai ( Hausa) isokan ( Yoruba) Andinat ( Amharic ) and Bumosi ( Kikongo) must be our watchword .
I rest my case.
Otunba Olawanle Akinboboye.