Seminar Summary Report “Mbeki’s Dramatic Departure from the Union Buildings – What Implications for South Africa”

The document details a seminar on the recall of President Thabo Mbeki by the ANC, arguing that the move was primarily intended to ensure party unity rather than being solely about legal implications. It assesses the stability of South Africa's economic and foreign policies under the subsequent administration of President Motlanthe and examines the constitutionality of the 'recall' process. Additionally, it considers the impact of Mbeki's departure on his role as a mediator in African conflicts.

• While the official reason for recalling Thabo Mbeki was his implication in a high court case involving Jacob Zuma, the actual motivation was the necessity of maintaining a strong and united ruling party.
• The administration of President Motlanthe has signaled a commitment to maintain the status quo regarding economic and foreign policies, evidenced by the retention of key cabinet members in the Ministry of Finance and Trade and Industry and a national address on 28 September 2008.
• The recall of Mbeki is viewed as constitutionally acceptable because the ANC used the term 'recall' instead of 'dismiss' or 'remove', and Mbeki submitted his resignation to Parliament, the appropriate government body.
• Mbeki's departure from the presidency presents a dual possibility for his mediation efforts in Africa: it may allow him to dedicate more personal skill to mediating conflicts, but he may also lose influence if the ANC diverges from his previous diplomatic achievements.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (2008). Seminar Summary Report “Mbeki’s Dramatic Departure from the Union Buildings – What Implications for South Africa”. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/MBEKISEMREP011008.PDF

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Seminar Summary Report “Mbeki’s Dramatic Departure from the Union Buildings – What Implications for South Africa”. 2008. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/MBEKISEMREP011008.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Seminar Summary Report “Mbeki’s Dramatic Departure from the Union Buildings – What Implications for South Africa” |date=1 October 2008 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/MBEKISEMREP011008.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudies2008seminar, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Seminar Summary Report “Mbeki’s Dramatic Departure from the Union Buildings – What Implications for South Africa”}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2008}, month = oct, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/MBEKISEMREP011008.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }