Former South African President Thabo Mbeki in Sri Lanka
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki is in Sri Lanka to attend the Capital Maharaja Group’s 45th Convention.
Mbeki was welcomed by the Governor of the Western Province Hanif Yusoof, South African High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Sandile Schalk, and Chevaan Daniel, Group Director, Electronic Media Business of Capital Maharaja Group.
Mbeki was deputy President under Nelson Mandela from 1994 to 1999.
He served as the 2nd democratic president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008.
As president, Mbeki had an apparent predilection for foreign policy and particularly for multilateralism. His pan-Africanism and vision for an “African renaissance” are central parts of his political persona, and commentators suggest that he secured for South Africa a role in African and global politics that was disproportionate to the country’s size and historical influence.
He was the central architect of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development and, as the inaugural chairperson of the African Union, spearheaded the introduction of the African Peer Review Mechanism.
After the IBSA Dialogue Forum was launched in 2003, his government collaborated with India and Brazil to lobby for reforms at the United Nations, advocating for a stronger role for developing countries.
Among South Africa’s various peacekeeping commitments during his presidency, Mbeki was the primary mediator in the conflict between ZANU-PF and the Zimbabwean opposition in the 2000s.
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