Njengoba sibuyekeza sise tjisa umnyaka ebesiphe the ngawo isikhundla so kuba nguSihlalo wehlanga no le, ngikhumbula isitjho sabadala esithi, ‘umnyama omkhulu uvulela umkhanyo’  Sabhabhadiswa ngomli lo thina kilelizwe l ekhethu, njengoba sithethe isikhundla sokuba nguSihlalo ngenyanga yinye ekubikwe ngayo umuntu wokuthoma ongenwe yingogwana i-corona eli-zweni le-Afrika.
Amaqalontanzi wethu ebesizibekele wona ngethemu yethu, hlangana nawo ekubalwa nokukhuthaza ukuthula nokuvikeleka, ukuhlonyiswa ngamandla womnotho kwabantu abasikazi kunye nokunatjiswa kokulungelelwa kwezomno tho, kwakateleleka bona siwatjhugulule ngendima ekulu khonokho kobanyana sizokuqalana nesifo esidlange iphasi loke.  Umsebenzi osigandelele khulu ukudlula yoke kube kukuthi kufuneke sitjhaye le ihlelo le-AU ukulungisa ubujamo oburhabako obumbi kinabo boke obakhe benzeka ephasini loke eminyakeni engaphezulu kwelikhulu edlu lileko. I-COVID-19 icaphazele woke amazwe we-Afrika. Bekube kunamhlanje, banga phezulu kweengidi ezi-3.5 abantu ekufakazeleke ukuthi bangenwe bulwelobu e-Afrika, kanti-ke bunjalo nje sebubulele abangaphezulu kwee-88 000.Kube mraro wezepilo, wobuntu, wehlalakuhle yompha kathi newomnotho emazweni we-Afrika, ubunengi bawo atlhayela ngemithombo yamandla neensetjenziswa zokulawula umraro wezepilo ongaka.
Izinto zinjalo, njengoba singakhange khesiwubone umraro wezepilo ongaka epi lwenethu, ngokunjalo-ke na mazwe we-Afrika athethe igadango angakhange akhe alithathe phambilini lokubu mbanela ukulwa nobu lwelobu.  Ngokwenza njalo, sikghone ukusebenzisa ilwazi elikhe thekileko lekhonthinenthi ye-Afrika ngokwayo khulukhu lu, nekghono layo kunye ne leenjamiso zamaziko woku lawula zepilo nokukhandela amagulo, njenge-Africa Ce ntres for Disease Control and Prevention (i-Africa CDC).  I-Afrika akhange isonge izandla ibukele ubulwelobu busehla beburhatjha  nengozi yabo. Sisikime msinyana ngamalanga  wokuthoma wobulwelobu oburhatjheke ephasini jikelele, sikhanjelwa phambili yi-AU, msinyana sakha ihlelo loku lwa nabo lilawulwa yi-Africa CDC neenqhema zo msebenzi eengodini ngee ngodi.  Silimukile ukuthi elinye nelinye ilizwe ekhonthinenthini yekhethu le lizokukhahlumezeka kumbi ngobulwele oburhatjhekilekobu. Ubunengi bamazwe lawa akanayo imithombo yamandla nee nsetjenziswa zokulwa nomra ro wezepilo yomphakathi namkha yokuvikela umnothwawo.  Ngalokho-ke thina njengamazwe we-Afrika sivumelene ukukhetha ama-Afrika ambadlwana aziwako ukuthi abe ziinthunywa ezikhethekileko, ezizakukhulumisana nabasekeli ngee mali bamazwe ngamazwe neenhlangano zeenqhemaqhema kobanyana akhombe lele i-Afrika isizo leemali nelokusizwa eenkolodweni zayo.  Ngalendlela, ngokusebenzi sana njengekhonthinenthi yinye, siphumelele ukutho lela amazwe amanengi isizo lokusekelwa ngeemali zokuvala iinkolodo zazo neloku sizwa ngeemali emahlelweni wokulwa ne-COVID-19 newokuvuselelwa komnotho.  Kodwana nanyana amazwe we-Afrika aye emazweni ngamazwe ayokufuna isizo nje, sithome ngokuzivusa thina ngokwethu — ngokwakha nokuvula isiKhwama  sokuLwa ne-COVID-19 ekho nthinenthini ye-Afrika. Kobunye nobunye ubudle lwano obakhiwe namazwe anothe ngcono ngemithombo yamandla neensetjenziswa nabanikeli ngesizo bamazwe ngamazwe, sizakhele iKundla  yokuSabalalisa iinHlahla e-Afrika kobanyana amazwe we-Afrika azokwazi ukutho la ipahla eziimvikelimzi mba nezinye iinsetjenziswa zeenhlahla ngendlela yobuhle obulinganako, nangeendleko ezingalilisiko. Kwanjesi-ke njengoba umjo vo we-COVID-19 sewutho lakala nje, sisebenze ngo kuhlanganyela ukuqinise kisa ukuthi ikhonthinenthi ye khethu ithola isabelo sayo esiyifaneleko, ngokusebenzi sana neZiko le-COV AX eli doswa phambili siqhema somjovo sangekhethu i-Afri can Vaccine Acquisition Task Team. Sewuthomile ukusa tjalaliswa ekhonthinenthini ye-Afrika umjovo, kanti-ke sisebenzela ukuthi nakuphela umnyaka wee-2021 ibe sesijove ubunengi besitjhaba se-Afrika, kobanyana sizokuhlanganisa inani elaneleko labantu abavikeleke esifeni.  Sijame ndawonye ukuvikela ipilo, abantu nemithombo abantu abaphila ngayo ekho nthinenthini ye-Afrika.  Ngokwenza njalo, sitjengise ikghono lethu lokuzithemba nelokuba batjhayeli betuthuko yethu ngokwethu. Nanyana senganywe yi-COVID-19 nje, kodwana nokho siphumelele ukuba nendima kumaqalontanzi wethu amba dlwana aqakathekileko. Ngesikhathi sethemu yethu, ugcine usikinyisiwe umtlamo wokurhwebelana kwe-Afrika iyodwa, i-Africa Continental Free Trade Area (i-AfCFTA),  ebe sitjengiso sesikhathi esitjha sokurhwebelana kwamazwe we-Afrika awodwa nesokulungelelana komnotho we-Afrika.  Ngitjho nangesikhathi sobudisi esilethwe bulwele oburhatjheke iphasi lokeli, ikhonthinenthi ye-Afrika itjhotjholoze ngamandla ‘ngehlelo lokuqeda izipi’ ngaphakathi kwayo. I-AU ibe nelizwi emikhulumiswa neni ye-Grand Ethopian Renaissance Dam, nekuphumeleliseni ukubekwa phasi kweenkhali e-Libya kunye nekukhuthazeni ukuthula elizweni le-South Sudan. Omunye umthamo wethu  obonakalako kube kuhlonyi swa kwabantu abasikazi ngamandla abonakalako, umphumela wakhona  ozakudlulela ngale kwethemu yethu nangale kweTjhu-miminyaka lokuQalelelwa kwabaNtu abaSikazi be-Afrika ukuyokufika emnya keni wee-2030.  Njengoba sidlulisela isi khundla sokuphathesi eli zweni le-Democratic Republic of Congo nje (i-DRC), sitjhiya ihlangano erhanyazelako yekhonthinenthi ye-Afrika le ezandleni zamandla ama khulu. ISewula Afrika izakusolo ilima yayo indima ukukhu thaza ibumbano ekhonthi nenthini ibe isekele noSihlalo ongenako lo kunye nemiza mweni yayo yokuphumele lisa iinrhuluphelo ze-AU nge-Ajenda yomnyaka wee-2063. Mhlazana kusungulwa iHlangano yoBunye be-Afrika (i-OAU) ngomnyaka we-1963, amaZwe amaLunga walehlangano atjala imbewu yo kusebenzisana neyokuzwela na ngomnqopho wokwenza ipilo yabantu boke be-Afrika ibe ngcono.  Amazwe amalunga la avuma ukuthi ukubumbana kwe-Afrika yinto eqakathekileko ekuqinisekiseni ihlalakuhle nokuledlha kwabantu be-Afrika.  Umlando ufakazela ukuthi imbewu leyo azange iwele yoke equlwanini enothileko, begodu umsebenzi wokubumbana kwamazwe we-Afrika uliyekile bewaba neenqabo ezinengi nobudisi bokusikimisa imisebenzi emihle. Kodwana-ke ingozi eza nobulwelobu obungumabhubhi sa ihlohlomezele amazwe we-Afrika ukuthi abumbane, asebenzisane.  Kilelilangabi lomlilo we-COVID-19, imbewu yebumba no nokusebenzisana eyatja lwa bahlahlindlela belizwe lekhethu imilile beyakhula. Lesisikhathi sokulingwa nobudisi obungaka sibe hlangana nesikhetheke khulu se-AU.  Sizizwa sihloniphekile ngokunikelwa ithuba lokudosa phambili ihlangano le ngalesisikhathi, la kuvele khona tjhatjhalazi ihlathululo yamambala yamagama athi ‘African Union,’  ngoku tjhugululiweko atjho ukuthi ‘IBumbano lamaZwe we-Afrika’. Le yipumelelo zoke izakha muzi zekhonthinenthi ye-Afrika ekumele zizikhakhazise ngayo zibe zikhuthazeke ngayo.
