Thabo Mbeki quotes

Thabo Mbeki is a South African politician who served as the country’s president from 1999 to 2008. Known for his role in the African National Congress, he played a significant part in shaping post-apartheid South Africa. He is recognized for his efforts in promoting African unity and economic development across the continent. Here are 31 of his quotes:

South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white.

Thabo Mbeki

One of the things that became clear, and which was actually rather disturbing, was the fact that there was a view which was being expressed by people whose scientific credentials you can't question.

Thabo Mbeki

Many of our own people here in this country do not ask about computers, telephones and television sets. They ask - when will we get a road to our village.

Thabo Mbeki

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.

Thabo Mbeki

By all means, let's work together.

Thabo Mbeki

Despite the advances we have made in our 12 years of freedom, we must also recognise the reality that we still have a long way to go... We should never allow ourselves the dangerous luxury of complacency, believing that we are immune to the conflicts that we see and have seen in so many parts of the world.

Thabo Mbeki

When will the day come that our dignity will be fully restored, when the purpose of our lives will no longer be merely to survive until the sun rises tomorrow!

Thabo Mbeki

Those who oppressed us described us as the Dark Continent!

Thabo Mbeki

The poor prey on one another because their lives offer no hope and communicate the tragic message to these human beings that they have no possibility to attain a decent standard of living.

Thabo Mbeki

It's very worrying at this time in the world that any point of view should be prohibited, that's banned, there are heretics that should be burned at the stake.

Thabo Mbeki

If you sit in a position where decisions that you take would have a serious effect on people, you can't ignore a lot of experience around the world which says this drug has these negative effects.

Thabo Mbeki

As a consequence of the victories we have registered during our first ten years of freedom, we have laid a firm foundation for the new advances we must and will make during the next decade.

Thabo Mbeki

We are not being arrogant or complacent when we are said that our country, as a united nation, has never in its entire history, enjoyed such a confluence of encouraging possibilities.

Thabo Mbeki

The concern around probable questions, which in a sense have been hidden, will grow around the world and the matter is critical, the reason we are doing all this is so we can respond correctly to what is reported to be a major catastrophe on the African continent.

Thabo Mbeki

South Africa was to evolve into the most pernicious example of the criminal practise of colonial and white minority domination.

Thabo Mbeki

A matter that seems to be very clear in terms of the alternative view, is what do you expect to happen in Africa with regard to immune systems, where people are poor, subject to repeat infections and all of that. Surely you would expect their immune systems to collapse.

Thabo Mbeki

That surely must be a concern to anyone who decides this drug must be given to stop transmissions, again from mother to child, which is extremely costly and must be taken into account.

Thabo Mbeki

Aids is Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. I don't believe it's a sensible thing to ask: 'Does a virus cause a syndrome?' It can't. A virus will cause a disease. The syndrome is a group of diseases as a result of immune deficiency. As a result of immune deficiency you suffer various diseases.

Thabo Mbeki

Science is always inquiring.

Thabo Mbeki

I say that why don't we bring all points of view. Sit around a table and discuss this evidence, and produce evidence as it may be, and let's see what the outcome is, which is why we are having this International panel which we are all talking about.

Thabo Mbeki

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.

Thabo Mbeki

One of the matters that must be addressed is that Rwanda and Uganda have to leave the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We're also supporting processes to ensure that the political dialogue among the Congolese themselves takes place so that the people there can decide their future.

Thabo Mbeki