Thabo Mbeki, the former president of South Africa, is frequently cited as an independent and creative thinker. Over the course of a career of activity, he has developed a reputation as the African National Congress (ANC) policy shaper and mediator. He claims, “I was born into the struggle.”
Thabo Mbeki Biography
African National Congress (ANC) is a Black nationalist organization and political party in South Africa. Originally called the South African Native National Congress, it was established in 1912 with the primary objective of preserving voting rights for Black Africans and Coloreds in the Cape Province. In 1923, it changed its name to the African National Congress.
It led the campaign to end apartheid, the government-enforced system of racial segregation and discrimination, starting in the 1940s. The white South African government outlawed the ANC in 1960 and it continued to function clandestinely and outside of South Africa’s borders for three decades. The embargo was removed in 1990, and South Africa’s first multiethnic government was led by ANC president Nelson Mandela when he was elected in 1994.
Thabo Mbeki Age
His birthday is June 18, 1942, and he was born in Idutywa, Transkei. As of the time of this writing, he is 81 years old.
Thabo Mbeki’s Early Life & Childhood
His parents were educators and campaigners as well. Since his father had graduated from college, Mbeki was exposed to a lot of books at a young age. One of the main leaders of the ANC in the Eastern Cape was Govan Mbeki.
Mbeki’s parents decided that family and friends would also be responsible for raising the children since they thought they would eventually be arrested. Mbeki was so frequently away from home. At the age of 14, he joined the ANC Youth League and soon afterward got involved in student politics.
Thabo Mbeki’s Education
He finished his education at home after the 1959 strike at the Lovedale Missionary Institute disrupted his studies there. After that, he relocated to Johannesburg, where ANC luminaries Walter Sisulu and Duma Nokwe began mentoring him.
He was chosen to be the African Students’ Association (ASA) secretary while he was preparing for his British A-levels. He continued his studies at London University, taking correspondence courses in economics. At a period when the state was actively attacking political movements, the ASA fell apart after many of its members were arrested. At Rivonia, Mbeki’s father was apprehended and given a life sentence.
In 1962, Thabo Mbeki departed South Africa at the ANC’s command. He relocated from Tanzania to Britain, where in 1966 he earned a master’s degree in economics from Sussex University. He continued to be involved in student politics and was instrumental in the establishment of the ANC’s youth and student wings when it was living abroad.
After completing his education, he worked with Yusuf Dadoo and the late Oliver Tambo at the ANC’s London office until being transferred to the Soviet Union in 1970 to undergo military training.
Thabo Mbeki’s Political Career
He came in Lusaka, Zambia, in the late 1970s and was immediately made assistant secretary of the ANC’s Revolutionary Council. He was in Botswana in 1973–74, having talks about setting up an ANC office there with the government. He served as Swaziland’s acting ANC representative in 1975. He was the ANC’s representative in Nigeria from 1975 till 1978 after being appointed to the National Executive Council of the party.
After coming back to Lusaka, Mbeki worked as Oliver Tambo’s political assistant before rising to the position of director of communication for the ANC. He had a significant impact on the international media’s shift away from apartheid because of this attitude. In the 1970s, Mbeki also had a part in the establishment of the ANC in Swaziland and underground networks within South Africa.
Mbeki advanced to lead the African National Congress’s information and publicity department in the 1980s, where he oversaw diplomatic efforts to engage more white South Africans in anti-apartheid initiatives. Upon their arrival in Lusaka for discussions, delegations from the sports, business, and cultural sectors expressed astonishment at meeting a man who was genuinely involved in the matters they discussed.
Mbeki assumed leadership of the ANC Department of International Affairs in 1989 and played a pivotal role in the ANC’s negotiations with the outgoing administration.
Following the general election in April 1994, Nelson Mandela personally selected Mbeki to serve as the first Deputy President of the newly formed Government of National Unity in South Africa.
Thabo Mbeki was chosen as the next president of the African National Congress during the ANC’s 50th Conference, which took place in Mafikeng from April 16–20, 1997.
On June 14, 1999, Thabo Mbeki was elected president of South Africa, and on June 16, he took office.
September 24, 2008, saw his resignation as South Africa’s president.
Thabo Mbeki’s Marriage and Children
Thabo Mbeki is married to Zanele Dlamini Mbeki (1974-present). Since going into exile in the early 1980s, his son Monwabise Kwanda Mpahlwa is thought to remain missing. At sixteen, Mbeki fathered Mpahlwa out of wedlock.
Thabo Mbeki Biography Timeline
- 1932: Govan Mbeki and Epainette Moerane (a member of the Ma Mofokeng Clan) meet in 1932 at Taylor Street Secondary School.
- 1935: The African National Congress (ANC) is joined by Govan Mbeki.
- 1938: A telegram concerning a job offer from the Transkei Teacher Training College, Clakesburg Institute, is received by Govan Mbeki.
- In 1939, Govan Mbeki published “Transkei in the Making,” a political analytical essay that is scathing of the Transkei’s local government structure.
- Govan Mbeki married Ma Mofokeng on January 4, 1940.
- 1941:Linda is Govan and Ma Mofokeng’s firstborn child.
- Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki is born in the Transkei’s Idutywa district on June 18, 1942. Govan Mbeki and Ma Mofokeng have two children, Thabo being the second.
- 1945:Moeletsi, Govan Mbeki and Ma Mofokeng’s third child, is born.
- 1946: Govan Mbeki raises money for people hurt during a severe police raid in order to support the Johannesburg Mineworkers’ Strike.
- 1948 sees the birth of Jama, Govan Mbeki and Ma Mofokeng’s fourth child.
- 1953: Thabo Mbeki’s family store and kraal are destroyed by fire. In the process, family archives, books, and photos are destroyed. Because of this, Govan, his father, is forced to move to Johannesburg in quest of employment in order to support his family.
- 1955: Thabo Mbeki, a student at Lovedale College, demonstrates his interest in politics by joining the Non-European Unity Movement’s Society of Young Africa (NEUM).
- 1956: At the age of 14, Thabo Mbeki enlists in the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL).
- 1958:Monwabise Kwanda, a boy born out of wedlock to Thabo Mbeki and Olive Mpahlwa, is 16 years old.
- 1959: A student strike interrupts Thabo Mbeki’s education, forcing him to finish his coursework at home. Thabo Mbeki attends St John’s High School in Umtata to complete his matriculation exam.
- 1960–1961: In England, Thabo Mbeki finishes his British “A” level exams.
- 1961: Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki meet in Johannesburg’s Mayfair. Mandela informs Thabo that he will soon be leaving to continue his schooling in a less disruptive location outside of South Africa. Mandela and other high-ranking members of the African National Congress (ANC) and the South African Communist Party (SACP) believed that Thabo should leave the country as soon as possible since his affiliation with the two parties will put his life in jeopardy.
Thabo Mbeki is chosen as the African Students Association’s (ASA) secretary in December.
December 16: uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the Spear of the Nation, is established by Govan Mbeki and other members of the African National Congress and the clandestine South African Communist Party. - 1962: When the South African police notice Thabo Mbeki and his “football team” traveling to Botswana, they are compelled to return to South Africa. The group only reached Zeerust in Limpopo.
On their second try, Thabo Mbeki and his football squad manage to reach Botswana. Nonetheless, they are detained in Zimbabwe’s Bulawayo. Because they left the nation without the required paperwork, the Zimbabwean government wants to give them over to the government of South Africa. Thabo’s persuasive arguments and the assistance of Cyril Ndebele, the court clerk, rescue them from this predicament.
The African Students’ Organization’s first piece written by Thabo Mbeki as its new organizing secretary appeared in the “New Age” publication on January 4.
With a party of twenty-eight students, Thabo Mbeki arrives in Tanganyika in November. To pursue their education, they depart the nation. A student named Manto Msimang-Tshabalala is among them. - 1963: In a police raid on the Lilliesleaf farm in Rivonia, close to Johannesburg, Govan Mbeki and other members of MK’s high command are taken into custody. Thabo Mbeki matriculates at Sussex University in June.
- On April 13, 1964, Thabo Mbeki addresses a United Nations Special Committee delegation opposing apartheid in London by reading a statement. Regarding the Rivonia Trial, the statement is aimed at the South African Apartheid Government.
- 1966: Thabo Mbeki graduates from Sussex University in England with a master’s degree in economics.
- 1967–1970: African National Congress official in London.
- Assistant Secretary, African National Congress Revolutionary Council, 1971–1972.
- Swaziland’s acting representative to the African National Congress, 1975–1976.
- 1975: A member of the African National Congress National Executive Committee.
- Nigeria’s delegate to the African National Congress from 1976 to 1978.
- 1978– Served as the African National Congress President’s Political Secretary.
- 1984–1989: African National Congress Director of Information and Publicity and Secretary of Presidential Affairs.
- 1989: Chief of the African National Congress’s Department of International Affairs.
- Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa from 1994 until 1999.
- African National Congress President, 1997–2007.
- President of the Republic of South Africa, June 14, 1999 – September 8, 2008.
- 2000: Openly disputes the link between HIV and AIDS, blaming instead racism and poverty for the illness.
- Chairperson of the African Union, 2002–2003.
- December 18, 2007: Former deputy president Jacob Zuma defeats Mbeki in his race for a third term as head of the African National Congress. In 2005, Mbeki removed Zuma from his position due to accusations of fraud and corruption.
- January 11, 2008 – The African National Congress launches an inquiry into Mbeki’s government in relation to potential misconduct in a 1999 multibillion rand arms sale. Mbeki is later found not guilty.
- Mbeki attempts to mediate a nonviolent resolution to Zimbabwe’s contentious election in July 2008. He recommends setting up a government of national unity.
- In a televised speech on September 21, 2008, he announced his retirement as president.
- March 2009: Is named chair of the African Union High Implementation Panel, tasked with resolving the Darfur, Sudan, situation, along with two other former African presidents.
- February 27, 2017 – is appointed to the position of University of South Africa chancellor.
FAQs
What is Thabo Mbeki’s birthplace?
Idutywa, Transkei, South Africa
What is Thabo Mbeki’s full name?
His full name is Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki
Who was Thabo Mbeki’s father?
His father’s name is Govan Mbeki, he was a teacher, activist, and politician.
Who was Thabo Mbeki’s Mother?
His Mother’s name is Epainette (Moerane) Mbeki, she was also a teacher and an activist.
Who is Thabo Mbeki’s Wife?
He is married to Zanele Dlamini Mbeki (1974-present)
Is Thabo Mbeki still alive?
As of the time of this writing, yes He is alive.
When was Thabo Mbeki President?
He was President of the Republic of South Africa from June 14, 1999 to September 2008. Mbeki lost his bid for a third term on December 18, 2007, as President of the African National Congress to Jacob Zuma, his former deputy president.
Is Thabo Mbeki dead?
No, He is still alive.
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