By Our Reporter
Ms United Nations International 2019, Vinolia Mabele, the founder of the African Ambassador who doubles as the Deputy Chairperson Social Cohesion South Africa, has emphasized the need for safe, orderly migration and youth empowerment to boost the global economy.
She made the comment at the Journalists International Forum For Migration (JIFORM) Intercontinental Migration Summit at the Medgar Evers College (MEC), City University, New York City (CUNY).
“The future of a country is its youth, which is why South Africa has recently been investing more efforts towards youth empowerment. If the youth of the country is well taken care of, It will in turn take care of its county.
“It is, therefore, important for young people to be at the center of managing migration, to be well informed about the notion of migration and why it exist and how much of a role it played in the liberation of most countries, particularly African countries, in order to embrace it as we work towards achieving the objectives of Agenda 2063” she said.
Mabele averred that: “Migration has been with us and it will continue to be with us. The future of the economies depend on each other. And the COVID 19 pandemic showed us that we all need each other and we need to work with each other.
“Now, how do we embrace migration? Safe, orderly migration is good for all our economies. Policies to secure boarders in order to have more coordinated boarder management systems
“Working together to respond to emergencies in order to migrants to be safe and protected and for the receiving countries to have the capacity to handle same, the truth is we have become global citizens now more than ever.
According to the South African based beauty queen, she added that the country “was on the peripheral of the Southern African region of the African continent and is part of SADC . In 2020, it was the top destination country for immigrants in Southern Africa, with a migrant population of 2,137,519 (28%).
Speakers at the summit included the former minister of immigration and citizenship in Canada, Hon Gerry Weiner, Professor Byron Price of MEC- CUNY, Solomon A Folorunsho and his counterparts from Home for the Needy, Germany, Ms Philomena Gnanapragsam, the Director of Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD); Professor Fadhel Kaboub, a Tunisian-American associate professor of economics at Denison University, Ohio, USA; and Ms Vergil Ratliff, Texas Comptroller of Public Funds Accounts-Criminal Investigation.
Others were Thuleleni Mbhansa, female advocate of High Court of South Africa; Ms Phelisa Nkonmo from South Africa; Vera Bumpers, the Metro Chief of Policy, Houston, Ms Velaze Vinolia Mabele, the CEO, Lebema Media House Limited, USA; the Head of Media Unit of the Nigerians in Disapora Commission, Abdur- Rahman Balogun; Dr Wale Idris Ajibade, Director of African Views, USA, Ms Evelyn Cel Manavalla from Spain, Teresa Jabob from Home for the Needy Germany.
Dr Ajibola Abayomi, the President of the JIFORM while thanking speakers and the MEC said the event would be sustained as an annual summit in the US.
JIFORM is an international media body founded in 2019 and now has over 300 journalists focusing on migration matters across the continents with headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria.
Migration has been with us and will always be with us. Policies to secure borders in order to
have better coordinated border management systems.” Ms Mabele would not have said it better. In South Africa, the first migrants to settle inland were the Dutch in 1652. The European migrant population population would settle at great pain to the indigenous natives through decades of violent colonialism and they are now accepted as South Africans in post colonial South Africa. They are part of a new nation building programme based on respect and security for human rights, non racialism and non sexism.
It must be the same with Africans who are linked to South Africans by an umbilical cord. What is key is control and orderly management of borders to ensure orderly integration of Africa’s peoples. Mabele, a woman who seems her love for Africa and humanity is more than what her beauty represented when she won Miss United Nations Pageant in 2019 sound unstoppable. Africa has unearthed in Velonia Mabele a new Queen Nehanda and Nomzamo Madikizele Mandela . It is for Africa to nature her and South Africa has more responsibility to unleash her to the youth who are the future of the country and African continent. Corporate South Africa and Africa has a huge role to play in unleashing this young leader to the global centre stage. Let us not sponsor beauty or facial and body appearances only, let us sponsor the noble ideas represented by human beauty and love for humanity that reside in the heart of young emerging leaders like Venolia Mabele. The heart that possess love for a better Africa and the world.
Velonia Vela Mabele represent that deep character of beauty.( Uhuru Moiloa)