The Second Vice President of the Pan-African Parliament, Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, has called for renewed efforts to educate younger South Africans about the sacrifices made by other African countries during South Africa’s liberation struggle.
Her comments come amid renewed concerns over xenophobic attacks in South Africa targeting foreign nationals from other African countries.
Speaking to journalists upon her arrival at the Kotoka International Airport, Dr Agyeman-Rawlings said many African countries, including Ghana, played critical roles in supporting South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle.
“The issue of xenophobic attack has been an unfortunate incident, and we have raised issues with it,” she said.
“As we all know, Ghana, together with many other African countries, took part in solidarity in the fight against the system of colonisation in South Africa.”
She noted that African countries provided logistical, financial and diplomatic support to South Africans involved in the liberation struggle and stressed the need for younger generations to understand that shared history.
“Perhaps we are not telling the stories enough for the younger generation for them to know that in terms of logistics, finance, passports and others to the people who then were part of the struggle,” she said.
Dr Agyeman-Rawlings added that the Pan-African Parliament had a responsibility to promote unity and remind Africans of the principles that bind the continent together.
“We have a duty as the Pan-African Parliament to remind them of the principle that binds us as a people on the continent,” she added.
