Former President Thabo Mbeki has called for urgent intervention to address South Africa's multiple crises, more than 30 years into democracy. Speaking at Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha, he urged intellectuals and universities to lead in finding practical solutions. The address launched the National Dialogue in the Eastern Cape Higher Education sector.
At the launch of the National Dialogue in the Eastern Cape Higher Education sector, former President Thabo Mbeki addressed academics, students, and policymakers at Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha. The event, themed 'Making Sense of the National Dialogue – A People in Conversation,' aimed to explore how the higher education sector can contribute to rebuilding the country.
Mbeki highlighted the nation's dire state, stating, 'If you look at South Africa at the age of thirty, the economy is in crisis, the politics are in crisis, crime and corruption crisis, even our relations with the rest of the continent are in crisis, there is nothing you can look at in South Africa at thirty which does not say crisis.' He criticized election manifestos for failing to offer solutions to challenges like corruption and unemployment, emphasizing the need to move beyond wishlists.
He called on South Africa's intellectuals, universities, and civic leaders to take the lead. 'It’s the beginning of a different process not just to discuss the state of affairs but to discuss the question what does our intelligence do practically to answer the question about all of the different crisis that are grappling our country, because it has that responsibility because this is the only body of people in the country that can legitimately say we are the thought leaders, politicians are not thought leaders,' Mbeki said.
The initiative, supported by the Strategic Dialogue Group and the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, invites all four Eastern Cape universities and TVET colleges. Dr Percy Mahlathi, Chairperson of the Strategic Dialogue Group, noted, 'The theme for today is reimagining and co-creating eastern cape we want as contribution to the national vision of a new South Africa.' Prof Sibongile Muthwa, Vice-Chancellor at Nelson Mandela University, added, 'It would be a travesty to not include the higher education sector in these dialogues because our country is in crisis, and it is up to us to put our minds together and come out with a solution.'
This event marks the start of a sustained program to gather voices from the higher education sector nationwide.