SIYABONGA SITHOLE
American-born Pan Africanist Dr Umar Ifatunde, formerly Johnson, has urged South Africans and Americans to resist participating in the upcoming 2024 elections.
With America and South Africa due for elections in the new year, Ifatunde said there was no incentive for African populations in both countries to take part in the elections as there was no concerted effort to resolve structural issues affecting the communities.
"I would like for the South Africans to do what I would like for the black Americans to do. The next presidential election for Americans is next year. The next presidential election for black South Africans is next year.“
"I would wish all my South African brothers and sisters to, just like all my American brothers and sisters, don’t vote for either party. Show them your power."
"If nobody shows up to vote in the next elections, whoever loses will recognise how much they lost out for not catering to the grassroot black vote, and as a result of that, the next election they will be eating out of your hand... Show them that you will not be taken advantage of. Show us we matter, and we will return the vote to you," he said.
Ifatunde was speaking during an interview on the Penuel: The Black Pen podcast.
"We have to do a better job choosing our leaders as African people. We do not do a good job at that. We allow them to select themselves. They anoint themselves, and they then come before us. That is not the way it is supposed to be. We are supposed to select. We are supposed to do research and decide who we want to represent us, not have someone come and tell you they want to represent you."
"If we want politicians, whether in Africa, America, or the Caribbean, to be loyal to South Africa, we have to finance them. Any black politician, I don’t care how good-meaning they are, if they have to go to white people to get financing for their political party, ultimately they are going to carry out a white agenda," he said.