Johannesburg Liberation Movements Summit, 25-28, July, 2025

The Summit

From 25-28 July 2025, leaders of Liberation Movements (LMs) gathered in Johannesburg at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Kempton Park, for solidarity, introspection, and mutual learning under the theme: ‘Defending the Liberation Gains, Advancing Integrated Socio-Economic Development, Strengthening Solidarity for a Better Africa.’

Present at this summit were the six sister parties namely, the African National Congress (ANC), Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and the Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF). Speeches were delivered by the Presidents and Secretaries-General of the six Liberation Movements present. Then, from former South African President, Thabo Mbeki, and Keynote address was delivered by former Mozambican President, Joachim Chissano. Hosted by the ANC, the summit has brought together liberation movements, allied parties, and key institutions such as the Museum of African Liberation.

A Sober Moment of Reckoning

One thing about this LMs summit was that it was not a pat on the back, solidarity exchanging meeting, but a recognition that LMs are indeed facing the danger of waning popularity and legitimacy across the region. Indeed, the ostrich is no longer burying its head in the sand, problems are real: an increase in youth disillusionment, poor governance, contested elections and elite entitlement. This reality has forced LMs to confront their weaknesses head-on; hopefully, it was not just mere talk, but a starting point to draft, implement and mainstream with real practical action following in the form of renewal, recommitment, reform, and redrawing of the political and economic map now and going into the future.

 A Need to Re-earn People's Trust: Madam Ndaitwah's Call. 

President, Madam Netumbo Nandi Ndaitwah from Namibia challenged all LMs to re-earn the people's trust. She pointed out that the way forward for LMs was about re-earning the people's trust which clearly has shifted & is shifting away from LM (no doubt she had Botswana in mind, where an LM was booted out of office by the electorate). She also emphasized the need to modernize party structures.

However, the real question is how LMs are going to earn back the trust of the masses when they continue to do business as usual, failing to modernize, failing to take on board issues of constitutionalism, transparency, and accountability in their movements. In such a scenario, one wonders where the modernity is? How are LMs going to re-earn the masses when they continue as relics from the past?

 Responsibility and Duty to Build More Prosperous Countries: Emmerson Mnangagwa Calls Out.

In his speech, President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa pointed out that the:

"The responsibility and duty to build brighter and more prosperous countries for the next generations lies with us, liberation movements. Let us, therefore, bravely and unapologetically re-assert and re-commit ourselves to defending our founding values, independence, sovereignty, freedom, democracy and equality...."

Indeed, it's very true, LMs as per their founding principles, should and are the vanguard in the development of their respective countries. But rampant mismanagement, looting and corruption involving the very same LMs is an antithesis to the development of their respective nations. Nations are built when corruption is under check, when resources of a country benefit its very own citizens, not looted by elites or foreign interests assisted by ruling elites. Definitely, there is a need to re-commit to LMs' founding principles for true independence. True sovereignty is not only political, it's also economic and that is possible when corruption is under check for citizens to enjoy their resource wealth in the form of access to better healthcare, quality education, access to clean water, food security. All that can be achieved when resources are managed well for the building of nations.

Economic Transformation, Youth Empowerment, Service Delivery and Fighting Corruption: Cyril Ramaphosa Pointed Out

Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa stressed the need for economic transformation. He also highlighted the need for youth empowerment, service delivery and tackling of enemy number one of real development- corruption.

It is a fact that youth empowerment is a must to change the fortunes of African nations. Africa is a very youthful continent, but a closer look at the leadership pattern of most LMs, youth are not in positions of power, making and shaping their nations to fulfill the youthful aspirations of many youthful nations. Young people are only needed for chanting slogans. Another key component is better service delivery but with colonial legacies still hovering over Southern African nations, the majority of citizens living in poverty, one wonders as to when all citizens of these nations will enjoy better service delivery. The majority of the citizens are homeless, no decent shelter, no decent infrastructure, no access to power, to clean water, etc.

Elder Joachim Chissano's Keynote Address and Warning: A Call for Self-Introspection... Elder Joachim Chissano's Wake Up Call.

Speaking directly not in a diplomatic or vague way but directly in a bold way, Chissano warned that many LMs have deviated from their founding principles and were no longer serving the people who have entrusted them with power. Joachim Chissano urged for LMs to recommit to the ideals of dignity, democracy and inclusive development or risk becoming irrelevant. Speaking at the ANC... former Mozambican President of Mozambique, now elder of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) pointed out in a no-holds-barred speech and said;

 "… many of Africa's liberation movements (LMs) have strayed from their founding mission to serve the people... some of these parties have become disconnected from the public and resistant to criticism... it is crucial that we recognize that in many of our countries we witnessed the weakening of democratic institutions".

Elder Chissano's speech is loaded with wisdom, with meaning, with warning ...it's a wake-up call to all African LMs to take note and embrace the wisdom and heed the warning. This means that all LMs need to embark on a path to genuine self-corrective measures...to adapt, to renew, to reform, to recommit to their founding principles in order to reconnect with the masses of their people or risk political irrelevance and indeed, a possible political extinction. This is Elder Chissano's powerful call for self-introspection among all LMs of the region. Stop the blame game. Stop the finger pointing. Look at yourself, honestly and truthfully. Look to align with its own founding principles which once attracted masses to LMs. Failure to do so means there will come a time when there will be no gains to defend, no socio-economic development to be proud of, and LMs' solidarity will be reduced to mere mockery. Former Mozambican President Joachim Chissano's legacy gives his words weight and credibility. Having led Mozambique through war into peace, respected term limits, and stepped down voluntarily – an example of principled leadership in a region and a continent where many leaders still choose to cling to power. 

A Reckoning Summit

This just ended LMs summit was a reckoning meeting. A meeting at which real economic, political and social problems facing the region and the continent were laid bare. It was a reckoning summit in the sense that it signalled or represented a fresh change from the norm, from the past...where meetings were more solidarity exchanging meetings, instead of being frank, direct and honest with each other. This Johannesburg meeting was a different one, a sober and sombre summit. It is a summit which will go down in history books as a "Summit of acknowledgement". Acknowledging the waning popularity facing LMs, and acknowledging the immense problems facing LMs in the region. And for a change, the Summit was not about populist, loud blame games but a sombre and sober call to adapt, to renew, to reform, to recommit to LMs’ founding principles as a way to reconnect to the masses of its own people, especially the youth.

 Question of the Day

There is no denying the historic contributions of liberation movements in dismantling colonial and apartheid regimes. Their sacrifices paved the way for political independence across southern Africa in general and Africa as a whole. However, decades long after taking political power, questions are being asked in the public discourse - especially among the youth - is this: Are these liberation movements still liberators or have they become obstacles to development and progress? For many young people, born long after the battles of liberation were fought, the legacy of these movements feels like some distant stories, if not irrelevant. Their lived experiences are defined more by poverty, unemployment, despair and hopelessness than by the “liberation gains” so often celebrated in official speeches.

LMs speak well of independence, sovereignty, freedom, equality, development, and justice, but rarely confront head-on systemic issues within their ranks — crony capitalism, corruption, dictatorship, overstaying in power, clinging to power, and repression of dissent. In many cases, political power has become an inheritance passed within the elite, while the masses are offered slogans in place of substantive change. To add further, youth are no longer satisfied with historical credentials. They want jobs, quality health, quality education, better infrastructure, opportunities to thrive and accountable leaders who respect term limits. Questions are being asked whether liberation movements can still deliver on the promises of independence — or whether those promises have been betrayed. This disillusionment is dangerous. It creates fertile ground for populism, political apathy or even violent protests. What is needed now is not more summits, but a return to the founding values that made these movements credible and legitimate in the first place. Integrity, people-first leadership and revolutionary honesty. “Tell no lies, claim no easy victories," as Amílcar Cabral of Guinea Bissau revolution leader once urged. If LMs wish to remain relevant in the 21st century, they must renew themselves, reform themselves, reinvent themselves, recommit themselves, reprioritise the people, in order to reconnect especially with the youth and the poor, through inclusive economic and social policies. They should address corruption and mismanagement within their governments. For the struggle for liberation does not end with political independence...it continues in the form of economic freedom, social justice and dignity for all. It's now up to LMs to demonstrate that they are serious about continuing the struggle, taking it further, to a new phase, or else risk being politically irrelevant and extinct.

 Lessons to Be Derived from The Summit

1. True Patriotism is Service Not Slogan

2. True Sovereignty is Empowering People to Live in Dignity

3. True Leadership Listens, Reforms and Delivers

4. True Legitimacy is Earned Not Inherited

5. It's No Longer About The Past, It's About Now and The Future.

Fortune Madondo is an Independent Pan- Africanist, political & social commentator, rooted in love for continent Africa [email protected]