H.
E. Thabo Mvuyelwa MBEKI
President
of the Republic of South Africa
People
like to identify H. E. Thabo Mbeki as an independent
and original thinker, but one who remains close to the
more visible leadership. His profile as a policy
shaper and mediator in the movement has been built up
over a lifetime of involvement. "I was born into the
struggle," he says. His birth took place in Idutywa,
Transkei, in June 1942. Both of his parents were
teachers and activists. His father is a university
graduate and there were many books in his home which
Thabo read at an early age. Govan Mbeki was a leading
figure in ANC activities in the Eastern Cape.
Believing that sooner or later they would be arrested,
Mbeki's parents decided that family and friends would
also be responsible for bringing up the children.
Mbeki therefore spent long periods away from home.
He joined the
Youth League at 14 and quickly became active in
student politics. After his schooling at Lovedale was
interrupted by a strike in 1959, he completed his
studies at home. Thereafter he moved to Johannesburg
where he came under the guidance of Walter Sisulu and
Duma Nokwe.
While studying
for his British A-levels he was elected secretary of
the African Students' Association (ASA). He went on to
study economics as a correspondence student with
London University. The ASA collapsed following the
arrest of many of its members, at a time when
political movements were coming under increasingly
severe attack from the state. Mbeki's father was
arrested at Rivonia and sentenced to life
imprisonment.
For more background and copies of speeches visit the
source: http://www.anc.org.za/people/mbeki.html
He left the
country in 1962 under orders from the ANC. From
Tanzania he moved to Britain where he completed a
Masters degree in economics at Sussex University in
1966. Remaining active in student politics, he played
a prominent role in building the youth and student
sections of the ANC in exile. Following his studies he
worked at the London office with the late Oliver Tambo
and Yusuf Dadoo before being sent to the Soviet Union
in 1970 for military training. Later that year he
arrived in Lusaka where he was soon appointed
assistant secretary of the Revolutionary Council. In
1973-74 he was in Botswana holding discussions with
the Botswana government about opening an ANC office
there. In 1975 he was acting ANC representative in
Swaziland. Appointed to the NEC in 1975, he served as
ANC representative to Nigeria until 1978.
On his return
to Lusaka he became political secretary in the office
of Oliver Tambo, and then director of information.
From this position he played a major role in turning
the international media against apartheid. His other
role in the '70s was in building the ANC in Swaziland
and underground structures inside the country. During
the '80s Mbeki rose to head the department of
information and publicity and co-ordinated diplomatic
campaigns to involve more white South Africans in
anti-apartheid activities. When delegations of sports,
business and cultural representatives visited Lusaka
for talks they all expressed surprise to meet a man
deeply engaged in the issues they brought to the
table.
From 1989 Mbeki
headed the ANC Department of International Affairs,
and was a key figure in the ANC's negotiations with
the former government. Mbeki was hand-picked by Nelson
Mandela after the April 1994 general election to be
the first Deputy President of the new Government of
National Unity. After the National Party withdrew from
the Government of National Unity in June 1996, Thabo
Mbeki became the sole Deputy President. At the African
National Congress 50th National Conference in Mafikeng
in December 1997, Thabo Mbeki became the new President
of the African National Congress.
