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Today Minister of Home Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma outlined her vision for the African continent, as part of her campaign to become the new Chair of the African Union Commission.

At the upcoming Ordinary Summit of the African Union (AU), South Africa is expected to challenge the sitting chairperson, Gabon’s Jean Ping, by presenting Minister Dlamini-Zuma as an alternative candidate.

Should Minister Dlamini-Zuma succeed in being appointed, she must use this position to address four key issues affecting Africa:

The AU must speak out when elections in Africa do not deliver true democracy. The AU’s recent endorsement of the seriously flawed election in the Democratic Republic of Congo should not set the tone for African democracies in which the will of the people is habitually repressed or ignored.
The AU needs to take the lead in promoting human rights in Africa and condemning leaders who violate such rights. Africa’s regional authorities cannot, for example, remain silent on the denial of basic rights and freedoms based on sexual orientation in countries like Uganda and Nigeria.
The alignment of the AU and international bodies such as the United Nations (UN) needs to be addressed. Most AU countries are UN members and bound by the resolutions of the UN Security Council. The AU position on issues of international importance should be discussed and determined before African representatives cast their vote in UN bodies. Flip-flops in positions (like that of South Africa on the UN’s response to the crisis in Libya) undermine the credibility of African countries in international debate.
The AU Chair should work to reposition African nations as valued participants in international debate. The AU is, for example, in a position to foster agreement on a suitable candidate from Africa to serve as permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC). Continent-wide support for a single candidate will improve Africa’s chances of gaining a permanent UNSC seat and thus positioning itself for direct influence in decisions that affect us.
The principle of ubuntu forms the cornerstone of South Africa’s foreign policy.

Minister Dlamini-Zuma’s appointment to this position would be an opportunity to showcase South Africa's commitment to both this principle, and the repositioning of Africa as an important voice in global debate.