Thabo Mbeki African School of Public & International Affairs

07/09/2026

"Let the people speak. Protect the one who stumbles in speech."

07/09/2026

20 years of the International Journal of African Renaissance Studies (IJARS).

The International Journal of African Renaissance Studies (IJARS), published by Unisa Press in collaboration with Taylor and Francis, with the Thabo Mbeki African School of Public and International Affairs (TM-School) as Proprietor, is marking its 20th anniversary.

Themed "The African Renaissance, Past, Present and Future", the anniversary issue revisits one of the most consequential intellectual movements in contemporary African history, a vision that traces back to Cheikh Anta Diop and was given political expression by former President Thabo Mbeki.

SAVE THE DATE - 20th anniversary of the INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AFRICAN RENAISSANCE STUDIES (IJARS)

📲 Scan QR code or use the link to register: https://buff.ly/ULlJnlY

07/09/2026

OPINION | Five decades later, SA still owes Steve Biko the truth.

The Herald (South Africa) 4 Sep 2026 VUYISILE MSILA

04/09/2026

SAVE THE DATE - 20th anniversary of the INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AFRICAN RENAISSANCE STUDIES (IJARS)

📲 Scan QR code or use the link to register: https://buff.ly/ULlJnlY

04/09/2026

Today's article is titled "The Implications of Human Capital Development in Embracing South Africa’s Good Global Citizenship " and was written by Dr Hlengiwe Phetha.

Read the article here: https://buff.ly/Y5w0Pmy

ABSTRACT

Since 1994, South Africa has demonstrated a strong commitment to promoting good international citizenship through inclusion beyond the boundaries of the nation-state. Global citizenship concerns a recognition of a universal moral dimension. The emphasis is placed on ethical obligations to humanity that transcend obligations to fellow citizens. This paper used the realist theory to understand a state’s participation in driving national interest. Usually, the core interests of a nation are non-negotiable, and they deal with the existence of a nation, while the essential national interest concerns those factors invoked for survival. South Africa’s first slogan has been advocated by the opposition as a policy position. Proponents of this notion seek to reduce the country’s humanitarian intervention in the global arena by prioritising the interests of citizens and protecting the nation’s sovereign rights.

04/09/2026

INVITATION to a webinar titled " Whose Democracy? Whose Development? Recentring Black Rural Women through a Bosadi-Informed Lens"🤔

The webinar will interrogate a fundamental question: whose democracy and whose development are being realised?

Moving beyond narratives of disadvantage, it positions Black rural women as knowledgeable social actors whose experiences underpin a more inclusive, transformative vision of development.

Two complementary presentations:
🔹 The persistent marginalisation of Black rural women in post-apartheid South Africa
🔹 Bosadi — an African-centred framework for development rooted in women's dignity, agency and meaningful participation

From naming the problem to charting the path forward.

📅 10 September 2026
🕑 14:00 – 15:30 | Online
📲 Scan QR code or use the link to register: https://buff.ly/4dJv4IV

Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

03/09/2026

It is with shock and a heavy heart that we share the news of the sudden passing of Alan Pillay, private secretary to President Mbeki.

Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the Pillay family and all those who held him close to their hearts during this difficult time.

03/09/2026

02/09/2026

Dr Pali Lehohla delivered a keynote on the philosophy of SeMoshoeshoe. The talk was titled "THE ARCHITECTURE OF SEMOSHESHOE: A TREATISE ON ETHICAL STATECRAFT, RESTORATIVE JURISPRUDENCE, AND GENERATIONAL VALUE"

He posited that statecraft rests upon four non-negotiable pillars that govern the relationship between the sovereign, the citizen, the land, and the adversary:

1. The personification and elevation of peace as an inviolable familial covenant: Khaitseli ea ka ke khotso
2. The moral inviolability of human life; Motho ke molimo, ha a bolaoe - A human being is a deity; human life must never be destroyed.
3. The jurisprudence of uninhibited deliberative candour: Moro khotla ha o okoloe mafura—At the assembly, the fat is not skimmed off the broth.
4. The economic technology of productive redistribution through the Mafisa system.

Watch the excerpt from the speech.

02/09/2026

🎓 APPLICATIONS OPEN: Master's & PhD in Public Policy and International Affairs

📅 1 September – 20 November 2026

Ready to shape the future of African governance and diplomacy?

The Master of Arts OR Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy in International Affairs is built for learners ready to engage, critique, and advance research at the highest level. It's not a coursework degree — it's a full dissertation, producing an original, theoretically grounded, empirically based contribution to the field.

Your research will tackle real challenges across our 9 focus areas:

🔹 Citizenship
🔹 Public Leadership
🔹 Peace & Conflict
🔹 Government Affairs
🔹 Urban & Rural Affairs
🔹 Simulation & Futuristic Studies
🔹 Security & Intelligence
🔹 Sustainable Livelihoods & Resource Management
🔹 International & Diplomacy Affairs

Shape the solutions. Lead the thinking. Apply NOW.

👉 https://buff.ly/WYGK4fJ