Online Reporter
Nduduzo Tshuma in Johannesburg, South Africa
THE ongoing Liberation Movements Summit, which started here on Friday, is a moment of renewal aimed at strengthening regional solidarity, reaffirming shared liberation values and aligning political movements with the socio-economic aspirations of a new generation.
The summit brings together six Southern African liberation movements, the ANC (South Africa, who are also chair and host), Zanu-PF (Zimbabwe), MPLA (Angola), SWAPO (Namibia), FRELIMO (Mozambique) and CCM (Tanzania).
It is running under the theme: “Defending the Liberation Gains, Advancing Integrated Socio-Economic Development, Strengthening Solidarity for a Better Africa.”
In a statement, the host ANC emphasised that the summit is a strategic intervention in organisational renewal, deepening intra-party solidarity and responding to contemporary challenges, including imperial pressures, economic crises and neo-colonial interference.
“The ANC believes that the political, economic and cultural survival of Southern Africa’s liberation legacy demands honest introspection, shared learning and actionable unity,” said the ANC.
Liberation movements, ANC said, played a vital role in transforming Southern Africa’s political landscape by resisting colonial and apartheid systems and advancing people-centred governance.
However, it warned that these historic gains are now under threat and require urgent and collective responses.
The summit will explore inter-party collaboration, regional integration, youth engagement, and sovereign resource governance to consolidate Pan-Africanist and internationalist approaches to regional development and political stability.
“By reaffirming shared values and strengthening alliances, the 2025 Liberation Movements Summit will chart a path forward, one that protects the gains of the past while building a just, inclusive and self-determined African future,” the political organisaton said.
Meanwhile, delegations began arriving in Johannesburg on Thursday, with most heads of delegation expected to arrive on Friday.
The summit takes place amid shifting global power dynamics and is seen as a platform to reassert the ideological relevance of liberation movements in a rapidly evolving world.
