by AKANI CHAUKE
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – SOUTH African President Cyril Ramaphosa has used Africa Month to sharpen calls for reparations, urging former colonial powers to confront the enduring consequences of slavery and colonialism and commit to Africa’s development through tangible redress.
Marking the annual commemoration of the founding of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963, Ramaphosa said the celebration of African identity must go hand in hand with an honest reckoning of the continent’s past and its lasting impact on present-day inequalities.
He emphasised that, despite the continent’s diversity of languages and cultures, Africans share a common identity and values that transcend borders.
However, he noted that the legacy of colonialism continues to shape economic exclusion, instability and conflict across parts of the continent.
Ramaphosa pointed to the transcontinental slave trade as one of the most brutal chapters in human history, during which millions of Africans were captured, traded and dehumanised.
He argued that the wealth of many former colonial powers was built on the exploitation of African people and resources, including land dispossession and forced labour.
He further highlighted how African human remains and cultural artefacts were removed and displayed in foreign institutions, often for profit, with limited accountability from those responsible.
While some countries have acknowledged specific historical atrocities, Ramaphosa said most have stopped short of issuing full and unqualified apologies for colonialism and its consequences.
The question of reparations, he added, has remained contentious, with critics arguing that too much time has passed or that responsibility cannot be assigned to modern states.
Such arguments, Ramaphosa said, ignore the lasting, intergenerational damage caused by slavery and colonial exploitation.
He cited the work of Guyanese historian Walter Rodney, who described the slave trade as a form of “social violence” rather than conventional commerce.
Momentum for reparatory justice has grown in recent months.
In March, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution recognising the trafficking and enslavement of Africans as among the gravest crimes against humanity, calling for restitution, compensation and the return of looted cultural property.
Ramaphosa said any reparations framework must go beyond symbolism and align with Africa’s development priorities.
He called for sustained investment in infrastructure, expanded market access, skills transfer and technology sharing, alongside the repatriation of cultural artefacts.
“Redress must be material and forward-looking,” he said, linking reparations to efforts to tackle debt, poverty, inequality and unemployment across the continent.
South Africa, he added, supports a coordinated continental approach to reparations, rooted in unity and practical outcomes.
Drawing parallels with the country’s own history, Ramaphosa said the principles of truth and reconciliation should guide former colonial powers in addressing historical injustices.
“They must confront this past with honesty and integrity,” he said, “and commit to meaningful measures that advance Africa’s growth and development.”
– CAJ News