A Facebook post by South African commentator Makhosini Mgitywa is stirring conversations about colonial borders and the future of regional unity in Southern Africa, including Eswatini.
In a lengthy reflection shared on his personal account, Mgitywa questioned the validity of existing borders between countries like South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Botswana, and Mozambique. He argued that these boundaries were not designed with African communities in mind but were instead imposed by European settlers to serve their own interests.
“There was no country known as South Africa when white settlers arrived in the 1600s,” Mgitywa wrote. “There was no Botswana, Eswatini, or Zimbabwe as we know them today. It was a vast land ruled by monarchies.”
He cited historical movements of African leaders such as Inkosi Zwangendaba Jele, whose migration from present-day KwaZulu-Natal to Tanzania showed how pre-colonial communities operated across vast regions without restriction.
The post also touched on Eswatini’s historical claim to areas such as Mkhondo, formerly known as Piet Retief, which Mgitywa said had been gifted to the Boers during the Anglo-Boer War. He noted that until 1967, it was possible to travel between Nhlangano and Piet Retief without crossing a border, until one was set up the following year to contain a foot-and-mouth outbreak.
Mgitywa suggested that the National Dialogue in South Africa could serve as a platform to revisit these issues and redefine the country’s relationship with its neighbours. “I don’t accept these borders as they are currently drawn,” he wrote, suggesting that Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, and South Africa should eventually become territories within the same country.
He compared Africa’s fractured geography to countries like the United States and China, where unified markets and governance offer significant advantages. “In Africa, you need 54 visas. Isn’t that one of the reasons the world is passing us by?”
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