On 21 September 2022, the Thabo Mbeki African School of Public and International Affairs (TM School) hosted its second-semester Conversation with former President Thabo Mbeki.

The Conversation with former President Mbeki is an interactive session with the TM School students, students from other colleges and other interested stakeholders.

Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof Puleng LenkaBula

The Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof Puleng LenkaBula, officially opened the session and welcomed guests, including Unisa students, staff, members of the diplomatic corps, the business community, and the media.

Former President Thabo Mbeki responded to questions from the audience, including on the role of the Intelligentsia in public discourse, the Leadership deficit in South Africa and on the rest of the African continent, the role of Chancellors within the University management system, the matter of gender mainstreaming and social justice, and the importance of a Social Compact, as well as South Africa’s energy crisis and the impact of a lack of leadership therein, along with the matter of Crime and lawlessness.

Furthermore, he addressed questions on Africa’s continental free trade agreement, the conflict in Ethiopia, migration, ‘xenophobia’ in South Africa (this in the light of the ANC’s pan-African roots and African solidarity), and the importance of repatriating African cultural artefacts from Europe.

Watch the Conversation with former President Thabo Mbeki below: