FORMER Minister of Education in South Africa under the Nelson Mandela government, Dr Mkangeli Matomela, has urged Africans to stop tolerating corrupt leaders because their actions have continued robbing the wealth and resources of the continent.

In an interview following a one-day workshop in Sinda, Dr Matomela said the vice, which mostly involved high-profile people such as presidents, Ministers, government officials, business-people, had deprived Africans of much-needed wealth.

He urged Africans not to tolerate corrupt leaders by allowing them to continuously loot public resources because their actions had continued robbing the continent’s wealth.

“Unfortunately, corruption is endemic all over Africa as it involves high-profile people starting from presidents, ministers, government officials and bussinessmen and everybody. We should stop allowing selfish people to loot resources of Africa because God created these resources for sustaining people of Africa. Therefore, these resources must serve the interest of the people,” Dr Matomela said.

He advised African leaders to lead their constituents in a humanitarian way.

“Leaders should stop over-controlling people; leaders must serve the interest of the people of Africa because the sovereignty of the people must be maintained and not the sovereignty of the leaders, who are abusing power and authority of the people,” Dr Matomela said.

“We urge leaders to serve the people of Africa on a non-partisan basis, on an impartial basis and on an inclusiveness basis. African governments: you can’t develop Africa alone; the model and institutions we have built in Africa are foreign because they are marginalizing indigenous people, they are marginalizing even the faith communities allowing few illiterate people to be rulers and take resources out, to that we say no!”

He advised foreign countries that continued to envy Africa’s resources since the Berlin Conference of 1885, which characterized the “Scramble for Africa,” to add value to the resources in Africa so that the continent retained full control of its resources.

“Countries that desire our resources, our minerals should implement them here so that they are processed here and exported from here and huge monies comes back to Africa and develop people of Africa. Africa remains poor because we have adopted a system, which is taking money out of Africa to empower other nations instead of empowering Africa. Our resources have been exploited by other nations successfully,” he observed.

And Dr Matomela, who is also a Minister of God, called on Zambians and Africa at large to work together in order for God to bless Africa.

“Working together is paramount for every development to happen and this supports God’s word that says, ‘where there is unity, God commands blessings’,” said Dr Matomela.

Meanwhile, a SA-based businessman Dr Jacques Malan, who is also a Minister of God’s gospel, said it was inhuman for majority Africans to still have no access to necessities.

“As I move around, I saw some things that are quite disturbing. It is inhuman to have people in a country that have no basic needs as a lifestyle. That is not human and it can’t remain like that as that shows various challenges that people of Africa are facing such as health issues, water crisis, poor road networks, and there is no one we can blame as to be behind this, but what is required is coming together and solve these problems,” said Dr Malan.

The visiting South Africans, who visited Kapoche constituency led by apostle Emmanuel Nkhoma, were in the area to associate themselves with challenges that Kapoche constituents faced, while exploring the various possibilities of extending developmental assistance to the area.

They took time to conduct a one-day leadership workshop to traditional and religious leaders in chieftainess Nyanje’s area, who called on them to render the development they can manage to the area.

And District Commissioner Paradious Sakala told them that Sinda District under chief Kathumba was rich in phosphate, a rock that could be used to process fertilizer, but that what was lacking was an investor to process the product.

He also told them that the district remained highly affected by climate change and deforestation.