Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbekiis a South African politician who served nine years as the second post-apartheid President of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008. On 20 September 2008, with about nine months left in his second term, Mbeki announced his resignation after being recalled by the National Executive Committee of the ANC, following a conclusion by judge C. R. Nicholson of improper interference in the National Prosecuting Authority, including the prosecution of Jacob Zuma for corruption. On...
NationalitySouth African
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth18 June 1942
We've had a long wrangle with the pharmaceutical industry about parallel imports, and what we were saying is we want to make medicines and drugs as affordable as a possible to what is largely a poor population.
Together we have travelled a long road to be where we are today. This has been a road of struggle against colonial and apartheid oppression.
No longer will we be an object of fascination for others, who would consider us a strange and an estranged segment of humanity.
The poor of the world stand at the gates of comfortable mansions occupied by each and every king and queen or president or prime minister privileged to attend this unique meeting,
What all of us have said on the continent is the actual African experience over the last 40 years shows that where you don't have democracy, where you've got military governments, where you've got civil conflict, where you've got no observation of the rule of law, then all of these things need to be addressed as a basis for development.
We are convinced that the risen masses must stand at the heart and in the vanguard of the great historic process to eradicate the legacy of slavery, colonialism, apartheid and neo-colonialism.
They've directed us to move ahead first with our program of reconciliation and development, so the goal for a better life for all is achieved sooner rather than later.
They (the people) put us in positions of power so that they should thrive and not so that we should seek to lighten the burden of our ponderous titles by transforming ourselves from elected and accountable politicians into self-serving tycoons,
This particular controversy has not impacted on government whatsoever.
And therefore it's a matter that we discussed, and I am quite sure that the Zimbabwe government will take the necessary steps to have that matter addressed,
This intervention shows that it's possible to go into the least-developed areas -- to the rural people -- and bring them into the modern era.
Our political relations can only go from strength to strength,
gives hopes to the billions of people across the world.
Clearly, we cannot allow such a critical part of African history to die, because such a death would mean erasing an important link to our glorious past,