The hope is for pragmatism to drive a transition process. Obsessive adherence to ideological preferences will not build national unity or a sound foreign policy.
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki in 2017.
EFE-EPA/Kevin Sutherland
Mbeki has successfully transitioned from being an old horse of South Africa’s governing ANC to a highly venerated and in-demand African elder statesman.
Former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Thabo Mbeki share a light moment at a meeting of the G8 and developing nations in Tokyo in 2000.
EFE-EPA/Michel Euler
Former presidents Obasanjo and Mbeki have arguably made the most important contribution to Africa in the 21st Century by promoting peace, democracy, regional integration and pan-Africanism.
South African civil society and private citizens march in protest against xenophobic violence in Johannesburg.
EPA-EFE/Yeshiel Panchia
South Africa, following its peaceful transition, occupied the moral high ground and could influence the agenda of intergovernmental bodies like the United Nations. Not anymore.
Thabo Mbeki during his inauguration as Chancellor at UNISA.
Deaan Vivier/Netwerk24
There’s no doubt South African universities need to undergo a real shift. But are the country’s current intellectual and academic forces up to the task?
Water’s Edge II (2009) - a print related to the ‘Black Smoke Rising’ series.
from http://bernisearle.com/
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki remains a puzzle to many of his compatriots. A new book, ‘The Thabo Mbeki I know’, will help to understand him better.
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki.
Reuters/Mike Hutchings
A central goal of Thabo Mbeki’s African Renaissance was the right of African people to determine their own future. But the country he governed struggled to embrace his pan-African vision.
Heads of state at an African Union session in Addis Ababa. They have signed up to a plan that envisages strengthening institutions and governance.
EPA/Solan Kolli
If the governing ANC ignores the calls for Zuma’s resignation,it may undermine South Africa’s leadership on the continent. It creates the idea that he can undermine the constitution with impunity.
Chief Research Specialist in Democracy and Citizenship at the Human Science Research Council and a Research Fellow Centre for African Studies, University of the Free State