Additional offices 1999‍–‍present


20th Secretary-General of the Non-Aligned Movement
In office 14 June 1999 – 31 October 2003
Preceded by	Nelson Mandela
Succeeded by	Mahathir Mohamad
1st Chairperson of the African Union
In office 9 July 2002 – 10 July 2003
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Joaquim Chissano
9th Chancellor of the University of South Africa
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 December 2016
Vice Chancellor	Puleng LenkaBula
Preceded by	Bernard Ngoepe

Personal details

Born

Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki

18 June 1942 (age 83)
Mbewuleni, South Africa

Political party

African National Congress

Other political
affiliations

South African Communist Party (Tripartite Alliance)

Spouse

Zanele Dlamini

(m. 1974)

Children

Kwanda Mbeki

Parents

Govan Mbeki (father)
Epainette Mbeki (mother)

Relatives

Skelewu Mbeki (grandfather)
Moeletsi Mbeki (brother)

Alma mater

University of Sussex

Occupation

Politician
economist
activist

Signature

Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki (born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician. He was the second democratic President of South Africa, serving from 1999 to 2008. He took over from the famous leader Nelson Mandela. Before becoming president, Mbeki was the deputy president.

Mbeki's father, Govan Mbeki, was a well-known leader in the African National Congress (ANC). The ANC was the main group fighting against apartheid, a system of racial segregation in South Africa. Thabo Mbeki joined the ANC's Youth League when he was just a teenager. He spent nearly 30 years living outside of South Africa in exile. During this time, he worked to build support for the ANC around the world.

When apartheid ended, Mbeki returned to South Africa. He helped with the talks that led to the country's first democratic elections in 1994. After the election, he became deputy president. In 1999, he was elected president. As president, he focused on growing South Africa's economy and building stronger relationships with other African countries.

However, his presidency also had major challenges. His government's slow response to the HIV/AIDS health crisis was heavily criticized. He also faced a political rivalry with Jacob Zuma, which led to Mbeki resigning as president in 2008 before his term was over.

Early Life and Activism

Lovedale, the high school Mbeki attended, pictured in the 1900s.

Thabo Mbeki was born on 18 June 1942, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. His parents, Govan and Epainette, were both teachers and activists against apartheid. Mbeki has said he was "born into the struggle." His home had pictures of leaders like Karl Marx and Mahatma Gandhi.

He started school in 1948, the same year the government began to create the laws of apartheid. As a teenager, he joined the ANC Youth League. He was a student leader and was expelled from his high school, Lovedale, for helping to organize a protest.

After finishing his exams, Mbeki moved to Johannesburg. The ANC had been banned by the government, so he worked with other youth groups in secret. The ANC leaders told him to leave South Africa to continue his work and studies safely. He left for England in 1962 after a difficult journey.

Life in Exile

Mbeki's father, Govan Mbeki, was arrested in 1963 and spent many years in prison.

Mbeki spent almost 30 years in exile, living and working in other countries. This was a very important time for him and for the ANC.

Studying and Working in England

Mbeki studied economics at the University of Sussex in England. While he was there, his father was arrested in South Africa during the famous Rivonia Trial. Govan Mbeki was sentenced to life in prison along with Nelson Mandela and other leaders. Thabo Mbeki spoke out against this at the United Nations.

After finishing his master's degree, he worked full-time for the ANC in London. He became a close friend and student of Oliver Tambo, the ANC's president. Tambo became like a father to him while he was in exile. Mbeki was known for being a great writer and speaker. He helped shape the ANC's message to the world.

Working in Africa

In the 1970s, Mbeki moved to Lusaka, Zambia, where the ANC had its headquarters. He worked in the ANC's information department, helping to share news about the fight against apartheid. He also helped set up ANC offices in nearby countries like Botswana and Swaziland.

He later became the ANC's representative in Nigeria. He was good at building relationships with African leaders and getting their support. By the late 1970s, he was one of Oliver Tambo's most trusted advisors.

Leading Negotiations

In the 1980s, Mbeki began to lead secret talks with the South African government. These meetings were held in different places, including a country house in England. Mbeki and his team met with government officials to discuss a peaceful end to apartheid.

These secret talks were a big step. They helped lead to the government unbanning the ANC in 1990 and releasing political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela and Mbeki's own father.

Rise to the Presidency

When the ANC was unbanned in 1990, Mbeki returned to South Africa. He played a key role in the official talks to create a new, democratic country.

Deputy President

After South Africa's first democratic election in 1994, Nelson Mandela became president. He chose Mbeki to be one of his two deputy presidents. It soon became clear that Mandela wanted Mbeki to be the next leader. Mbeki took on many of the day-to-day tasks of running the government.

In 1997, Mbeki was elected president of the ANC, taking over from Mandela. This prepared him to become the country's next president.

Becoming President

In the 1999 elections, the ANC won a big victory. Thabo Mbeki then became the second president of a democratic South Africa. He promised to continue Mandela's work and to bring growth and development to the country.

Presidency of South Africa

As president, Mbeki focused on two main areas: improving South Africa's economy and strengthening its role in Africa.

Economic Policy

Mbeki speaks to District Six land claimants in Cape Town, 2001.

Mbeki's government followed an economic plan called GEAR (Growth, Employment and Redistribution). The goal was to grow the economy, reduce government debt, and attract foreign investment. During his presidency, South Africa's economy grew steadily.

However, some people criticized his policies. They said the policies did not do enough to reduce poverty and unemployment. This created disagreements between Mbeki and some groups within the ANC's alliance, like the trade unions.

His government also expanded the Black Economic Empowerment program. This program aimed to give Black South Africans more ownership and control in the economy.

Foreign Policy

Mbeki with American President George W. Bush at the White House, June 2001.

Mbeki was very passionate about foreign policy. He had a vision for an "African Renaissance". This was an idea that African countries should work together to solve their own problems and become stronger.

He was a key leader in creating the African Union (AU), which replaced the old Organisation of African Unity. He was the AU's first chairperson. He also helped start the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), a plan for economic development across the continent.

Mbeki also worked to build partnerships with other developing countries like Brazil and India. Together, they pushed for a stronger voice for the Global South in world affairs.

HIV/AIDS Controversy

One of the most difficult parts of Mbeki's presidency was his government's handling of the HIV/AIDS crisis. At the time, South Africa had one of the highest rates of HIV infection in the world.

Mbeki questioned the link between HIV and AIDS. He suggested that poverty might be a major cause of the illness. His government was very slow to provide life-saving antiretroviral (ARV) medicines in public hospitals.

Health experts and activists heavily criticized these delays. Studies later showed that hundreds of thousands of lives could have been saved if the government had acted sooner. This remains a very controversial part of his legacy.

Quiet Diplomacy in Zimbabwe

During Mbeki's presidency, neighboring Zimbabwe faced a major political and economic crisis under its leader, Robert Mugabe. Mbeki chose a policy of "quiet diplomacy." This meant he tried to solve the problems through private talks instead of public criticism or sanctions.

Many people at home and around the world criticized this approach. They felt he was not being tough enough on Mugabe's government. However, Mbeki believed it was the best way to help Zimbabweans find a solution without outside interference.

Resignation and Later Life

Supporters of Jacob Zuma during a court case in 2006.

Mbeki's political career ended after a power struggle within the ANC.

Rivalry with Jacob Zuma

In 2005, Mbeki removed his deputy president, Jacob Zuma, from his post because of accusations of wrongdoing. This started a long and bitter rivalry between the two leaders and their supporters.

At the ANC's national conference in Polokwane in December 2007, Zuma challenged Mbeki for the party presidency. Zuma won the election with strong support from the ANC's youth league and trade union partners. This meant Zuma was now likely to become the next president of South Africa.

Resignation

In September 2008, the ANC's leadership committee asked Mbeki to resign as president of the country. This happened after a court judgment suggested there had been political interference in the case against Zuma.

Mbeki agreed to resign. He said he was a loyal member of the ANC and would follow the party's decision. He was replaced by Kgalema Motlanthe, who served as president until the 2009 election.

Life After Presidency

Mbeki with American Vice President Joe Biden in 2011.

After leaving office, Mbeki has remained active in African politics. He has worked as a mediator to help solve conflicts in countries like Sudan and Zimbabwe.

He also started the Thabo Mbeki Foundation. The foundation works to promote his vision of an "African Renaissance" and to train new leaders for the continent. He sometimes comments on South African politics but has mostly stayed out of the spotlight.

Personal Life

In 1959, Mbeki had a son named Monwabisi Kwanda. Kwanda disappeared in 1981 while in exile and is believed to have died. Mbeki's youngest brother, Jama, also disappeared in exile.

In 1974, Mbeki married Zanele Dlamini Mbeki, a social worker he met in London. They do not have any children together. His only living brother, Moeletsi, is a well-known economist.

Images for kids

Mbeki with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in June 2003.
Mbeki with Brazilian President Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the second IBSA summit in Pretoria, October 2007.
Mbeki with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Cape Town, September 2006.
Mbeki with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at the 34th G8 summit, July 2008.
Mbeki at a United Nations meeting on Sudan, July 2019.
Mbeki in 2003
Mbeki's brother Moeletsi in Amsterdam in 1978, accepting an award on behalf of their father. The banner calls for Govan's release.