The Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans of South Africa, Hon. Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Bantu Holomisa, delivered a powerful keynote address during a high-level conference on “The Impact of Military Coups and the Militarisation of Politics on Constitutionalism and Democracy in Africa.”
The two-day conference took place at the seat of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) in Midrand, South Africa, organised by the Pan-African Parliament, in partnership with AUDA NEPAD, the Centre for Human Rights (CHR) and the Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa (ICLA) of the University of Pretoria.
In his address, Hon. Holomisa reflected on the historical roots of military interventions in Africa, noting that coups often arise in contexts of corruption, maladministration, and eroded public trust in civilian leadership. He stressed that “military coups rarely occur in stable, transparent, and accountable political environments.”
Drawing on his own experience as a young officer who led a coup in Transkei in 1987, Holomisa said such interventions should never be glorified but understood as “corrective moments” that must lead to the restoration of ethical governance. He warned against the militarisation of politics, which he said “prioritises control over consensus and command over participation.”
The Deputy Minister urged African leaders to rebuild public trust by promoting ethical leadership, institutional reform, and socio-economic inclusion, stating that true stability “is born not from the barrel of a gun, but from the moral authority of good governance.”
He concluded by calling for the de-militarisation of Africa’s political imagination and renewed commitment to the African Union’s Constitutive Act, the Lomé Declaration, and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance — urging that these frameworks become “living instruments backed by political will and regional solidarity.”
