Pretoria – Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Bantu Holomisa, South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, called on Southern African and Great Lakes leaders to tackle ongoing security challenges during his keynote address on Friday.
Holomisa spoke to former heads of state, ambassadors, African Union and SADC representatives, and other dignitaries, stressing that instability in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has far-reaching consequences. Decades of violence in the region, fueled by competition over minerals, armed groups, and foreign interference, have destabilised borders and created spillover effects across the continent.
He referenced South Africa’s own experience during apartheid, noting that negotiation and dialogue prevented total bloodshed. Holomisa praised recent interventions by Presidents Cyril Ramaphosa and Paul Kagame in Goma for successfully enforcing ceasefires and opening pathways to reconciliation.
The deputy minister highlighted the link between economic hardship and insecurity, warning that unemployment, inequality, and poverty in Southern Africa contribute to radicalisation and organised crime. He called for protective reforms including enhanced maritime security, law enforcement capacity, and regional economic development to strengthen resilience.
Holomisa also stressed that peace requires more than ceasefires. Inclusive nation-building, equitable resource management, justice for victims, and infrastructure development such as housing, electrification, roads, healthcare, and trade systems must follow. He urged youth engagement, citing programmes like the South African National Service Institute that combine entrepreneurship and job creation with security objectives.
Africa, Holomisa said, must assert its own solutions while engaging global partners to ensure fair and sustainable outcomes. He pointed to lessons from Liberia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, and Mozambique where sustained mediation, justice, reconciliation, and dialogue have promoted stability.
Concluding, Holomisa called for unity, foresight, and decisive action, stressing that only integrated political, economic, and security efforts will secure lasting peace in the Great Lakes and Southern Africa.
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