Ukuphela kwe-Agoa yithuba lokuqala kabusha eNingizimu Afrika, kuloba uBusi Mavuso 

UKUPHELA kwesivumelwano sokuhwebelana ebesivuna amazwe athile e-Afrika uma ehweba neMelika i-African Growth and Opportunity Act (i-Agoa) ekupheleni kwenyanga edlule kuyizinkomba zokushintsha kwezinto phakathi kobudlelwano beNingizimu Afrika neMelika.

Yize i-Agoa ibisiphazanyiswe yintela eyethulwe ngumengameli waseMelika uMnu uDonald Trump ekuqaleni konyaka kodwa ibiwuhlaka esikwazi ukukhulumela phezu kwalo futhi ibisikhuthaza ukuthi sizikhandle ukuthola isivumelwano esinemigomo emisha yokuhwebelana. 

Uhulumeni kaTrump utshengise ukufisa ukuselula isivumelwano i-Agoa cishe ngonyaka ngaphambi kokuthi siphele kodwa iphalamende lakhe alikwazanga ukukwenza loku ngenxa yesiteleka sezisebenzi zikahulumeni. 

Kusengenzeka ukuthi ingelulwa i-Agoa ngokufakwa emthethweni odingekayo ukuqeda isiteleka kodwa yize kunjalo, akukacaci ukuthi iNingizimu Afrika izofakwa yini nayo kuleso sivumelwano ngenxa yezinye izinto ezibangwa yila mazwe.  

Ngesikhathi yethulwa intela entsha ngo-Ephreli kwacaca ukuthi ubudlelwano bokuhwebelana neMelika busengcupheni futhi ngaxwayiswa ngokuthi kufanele silindele ukuthi sizophela isikhathi se-Agoa. Kunezinto ezingahambanga kahle ebudlelwaneni bethu, ikakhuluka udaba lomkhumbi iLady R ngo-2023, olwase luvele lucekele phansi ubudlelwano phakathi kwamazwe womabili ngaphambi kokuqala kombuso kaTrump. 

Loko nemibono ngokuthi iNingizimu Afrika imiphi odabeni lweRussia kubenesandla esikhulu kulobu bunzima esibhekene nabo namhlanje. Kufanele singakhohlisani ngaloku. Imigomo esiyishayayo ngendlela esisebenzisana ngayo namanye amazwe iwuthinta ngqo umnotho kanti ukungacaci kahle kwayo akuvamile ukusiza izwe. 

Kusukela eminyakeni ewu-25 edlule ngesikhathi sisayinwa isivumelwano i-Agoa ngoMeyi wango-2000 kuze kufike ekupheleni kwaso ekupheleni kwangoSepthemba wango-2025, lesi sivumelwano senze ukuthi cishe u-17% wezimpahla ebeziqhamuka eNingizimu Afrika zidayiswe eMelika ngaphandle kokukhokhiswa intela (eminye imikhiqizo ikakhulu eyokumbiwayo ibivele ingayikhokhi intela ngenxa yeminye imithetho yokuhwebelana). 

Kule minyaka ewu-25 edlule, i-Agoa ibimqoka embonini yethu ekhiqiza izimoto neyezolimo, izimpahla zokugqoka, amakhemikhali neyemishini ehlukene. 

Okunye okubalulekile wukuthi i-Agoa ibiseka izimboni ebezinengxenye enkulu 

yezinto ezenziwa eNingizimu Afrika, okusho ukuthi bezenza kubenemisebenzi enohlonze ezweni. Ezimpahleni ebezidayiswa ngaphansi kwe-Agoa, u-54% wazo ngowebeziqhamuka eNingizimu Afrika, okuyenze izwe elihlomule kakhulu kusukela sabakhona lesi sivumelwano. 

Ukuphela kwe-Agoa kuzowaphazamisa namanye amazwe ase-Afrika njenge-Eswatini, iKenya, iLesotho neMadagascar, asekhulise izimboni zendwangu nezimpahla zokugqoka ebezikwazi ukuncintisana nabakhiqizi baseChina ekudayiseleni iMelika. 

Ingxenye enkulu yemikhiqizo iLesotho eyidayisa ngaphandle ibihambisana ne-Agoa, ikakhulu embonini yezimpahla zokugqoka. Mkhulu umonakalo ozokwenzeka kubantu ezwekazini lonke.  

Kuzofanele iMelika ibheke ukuthi izibheka kanjani izidingo zayo. I-Agoa ibiyisisekelo sobudlelwano beMelika namazwe amaningi e-sub-Saharan Africa. Loku kubalulekile uma kubhekwa izinhloso zeChina namanye amazwe okubalwa iRussia kuwona afuna ukuba nezwi e-Afrika. Uma kubhekwa loku nokuvalwa kwezinhlelo ebezixhaswa yi-USAID, izwi leMelika ezwekazini linciphile.

Inzuzo yobudlelwano obuhle wukukwazi ukuthola kalula izinsiza eziqhamuka e-Afrika, iningi lazo okuyilokhu okumbiwa phansi okungaba yi-manganese ne-chromium, izinto ezimqoka ezifisweni zezimboni nezobuchwepheshe eMelika. Ngokuvumela i-Agoa iphelelwe yisikhathi, iMelika isengozini yokulahlekelwa obekuyisiza ikwazi ukuncintisana ikakhulukazi njengoba amazwe ase-Afrika ebheka amazwe engahwebelana nawo athembekile.  

FUNDA NALAPHA: https://www.umbele.co.za/2023/06/15/kuhle-iningizimu-afrika-iqhubeke-kwi-agoa-kusho-ibhange-lombuso-uslindile-khanyile-uyabika/ 

Yize zisaqhubeka izingxoxo ngokuhwebelana neMelika kanti ukuvuselela i-Agoa kufanele kubengenye yalezo zinhloso. Kufanele sibhekane nokuthi cishe i-Agoa isiwumlando. 

Yize kunjalo kodwa kufanele siqhubeke siphokophele impumelelo ezingxoxweni neWashington. Yize lezi zingxoxo zinzima, ngiyazi ukuthi uhulumeni uzimisele ukuthola isisombululo. Amabhizinisi ayayeseka le mizamo ngokusebenzisana ngqo namakhasimende nabanye esibambisene nabo ukuthola isivumelwano sokuhwebelana esisiza wonke umuntu. Imisebenzi emazweni womabili incike ekutheni kwenzeke kahle loku. 

Okwamanje, iNingizimu Afrika kufanele igxile ekwakheni ubudlelwano namanye amazwe. I-China isanda kumemezela ukuthi wonke amazwe ase-Afrika esebenzisana nawo angadayisa izimpahla khona ezingeke zikhokhiswe intela. 

Loku kushintsha indlela amazwe emhlabeni ahwebelana ngayo. Uhlaka lweBrics luthembisa amathuba amaningi okuhwebelana kanjalo ne-African Continental Free Trade Agreement, yize lesi sivumelwano esithinta amazwe ase-Afrika wodwa sibhekene nezinselelo ezinkulu ngenxa yengqalasizinda nemithetho emazweni ahlukene.

IMelika idale ukuthi kubenomgomo owenza ingacaci indlela okuhwebelana ngayo nokuthi maningi amanye amazwe anezifiso ezifana nezethu, afisa ukwakha ubudlelwano obusha bokuhwebelana ngendlela ethembekile. Kufanele sixoxisane manje, ithuba lisekhona. 

Ekwenzeni kwethu loku, kufanele futhi sigxile kwesikwazi ukukulawula, izinguquko ezinqala ezweni lethu. Ukwenza loku kungasiza ukunciphisa umphumela omubi wokuphelelwa yisikhathi kwe-Agoa okubhebhezelwa nayintela kaTrump. 

Izifundazwe ezifana neMpumalanga Kapa ezithembele kakhulu embonini yezimoto zithinteke kakhulu. Kufanele silethe izinguquko ngokushesha ukuze kuvuleke amathuba amasha futhi kuqinise indlela esincintisana ngayo. 

Umehluko esesiwenzile embonini yezokuthutha kusukela ekusebenzeni kangcono kwamachweba kuya ezitimeleni ezithutha izimpahla kufanele kuphuthunyiswe. 

Yindlela elula lena yokuphucula indlela esincintisana ngayo namanye amazwe, ngoba uma izimpahla zethu zikwazi ukufinyelela kwamanye amazwe kahle futhi ngaphandle kokubizamba, kulula ukuheha abantu abafisa ukuhweba nathi ngisho kungathiwa simi kanjani isimo sentela. 

Akubuzwa ukuthi ukuphelelwa yisikhathi kwe-Agoa kuzosiphazamisa. Nokho ikusasa lethu lisezandleni zethu.