Thabo Mbeki is a popular South African politician and the second democratic President of South Africa. He was a known member and head of the African Congress (ANC) and worked as the deputy president under Nelson Mandela.
Thabo Mbeki’s Age
Thabo Mbeki was born on the 18th of June 1942 in Mbewuleni, South Africa. He is currently 82 years of age and usually celebrates his birthday every 18th of June.
Early Life and Education
Thabo Mbeki was born in Mbewuleni, a little village in the former homeland of Transkei. He was born to parents Epainette and Govan; his parents were from a Christian, well-educated, and land-owning family.
Thabo Mbeki started his education in 1948. Following the implementation of the Bantu Education Act, he had to attend Lovedale Institute in 1955, where he completed his education.
During his time in school, Thabo Mbeki was a member of the ANC Lovedale branch and was the secretary.
In 1960, he moved to Johannesburg and stayed with the ANC General Secretary, and sat for his A-level examinations.
Despite the ban on ANC, Thabo Mbeki remained committed and rose to become the national secretary of the African Students Association (ASA).
Career
Early Career
Between 1962 and 1969, Thabo Mbeki was in England and heavily involved in ANC work. He led a student march from Brighton to London, which was about 50 miles.
Thabo Mbeki completed his Bachelor’s degree in Economics and a Masters before moving to ANC’s English headquarters. He remained a ward of O.R. Tambo and his wife, Adelaide Tambo.
Between 1969 and 1971, Thabo Mbeki was with the Soviet Union to obtain Marxist-Leninist political and ideological training. He was educated at Lenin Institute, in which he excelled and built friendships with some prominent individuals.
From 1971 to 1975, Thabo Mbeki spent his time in Lusaka, Zambia, when the suspended ANC built its headquarters. He remained a part of the National Executive Committee and worked closely with acting President Tambo.
During this period, Thabo Mbeki helped establish the ANC’s office in Botswana.
Between 1975 and 1976, he worked tirelessly to establish the ANC’s base in Swaziland.
Thabo Mbeki stayed with Stanley Mcbizela’s family while working with Albert Dhlomo to re-establish underground ANC networks in South African provinces that shared borders with Swaziland.
Between 1976 and 1978, Thabo Mbeki was in Nigeria and served as the party’s first representative. During this time, he worked and established a good relationship with then-President Olusegun Obasanjo and made a strong presence for the ANC.
After returning from Nigeria, he was promoted to political secretary in ANC Zambia. He continued to work with Tambo and helped to establish good relations with high-level networks.
Thabo Mbeki led the ANC’s delegation to Zimbabwe in 1980.
Rise to The Presidency
In 1990, the state president, F. W. de Klerk, announced that the ban on ANC would be lifted. During this period, negotiations were ongoing concerning ending apartheid, and the ANC was equally getting ready for new leadership.
Thabo Mbeki was considered in line for a top leadership role following his role in early negotiations.
However, he was not elected to the “Top 6” leadership positions at the 48th National Conference in 1991.
During the same time, Cyril Ramaphosa was a known contender in the ANC and competed with Thabo Mbeki.
However, in 1993, after the death of Tambo, Thabo Mbeki succeeded him as the ANC national chairperson.
In 1994, Thabo Mbeki became one of the national deputy presidents of the ANC, which saw Nelson Mandela become president.
Following the exit of the national party and the co-deputy president, Thabo Mbeki became the sole deputy of the party.
He was a peace broker in Zaire during the First Congo War and then handled some domestic responsibility issued by then-President Nelson Mandela.
In 1997, Thabo Mbeki was elected by the party at its 50th National Conference to become the ANC president, succeeding Nelson Mandela.
In the interest of unity, the ANC negotiated on behalf of Thabo Mbeki. In the 1999 elections, he was elected President of South Africa as the ANC swept the votes.
Thabo Mbeki enjoyed success during his administration and was elected for a second term in 2002.
Presidency of South Africa
Thabo Mbeki was involved in economic policy and helped in the Growth, Employment, and Redistribution (GEAR) program.
Also, he stressed the need for communication between the government, businesses, and labor.
During this period, the economy of South Africa experienced a lot of growth following Thabo Mbeki’s policies.
Despite criticism, he never subscribed to neoliberalism; instead, Thabo endorsed a mixed economy in the country.
He was prominent in popularizing the concept of a dual economy in South Africa. Thabo Mbeki advocated for increased solidarity among various African countries.
While in office, he maintained a firm and strategic relationship with various key African leaders, especially in Algeria, Nigeria, Mozambique, and Tanzania.
Thabo Mbeki was involved in the dissolution of the Organization of African Unity and its replacement with the African Union (AU).
He contributed to peacekeeping missions in Zimbabwe, Liberia, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burundi.
Some prominent involvement of former President Thabo Mbeki included mediating for ZANU-PF and the Zimbabwean opposition, launching the HIV/AIDS/STD strategic plan for South Africa, bidding to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and establishing Eskom.
Succession
In 2005, Thabo Mbeki removed Jacob Zuma from his position as deputy president after an arms deal issue.
During this period, Zuma remained his deputy at ANC and was a strong contender for the position of ANC president.
On the 18th of December, Thabo Mbeki lost his position as ANC president to Jacob Zuma after the elections.
After Zuma’s appeal, the ANC National Executive Committee requested that Thabo Mbeki resign from his role as national president.
In 2008, he resigned and was immediately replaced by Kgalema Motlanthe, the then-national president.
Family
Thabo Mbeki is married to Zanele Dlamini Mbeki, but they have no child together.
Net Worth
Thabo Mbeki has an estimated net worth of R177.5 million.