Johannesburg — A public discussion with eleven former African leaders attending an African Presidential Roundtable, crowned the two-day event held at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg recently.

About four hundred people -- including staff, students, invited guests and other members of the public -- filled the Wits Great Hall for an exchange of views with the ex-leaders.

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Africa bureau chief Milton Nkosi moderated the proceedings, which saw the floor opened for queries to the former presidents.

In an echo of last year's forum the proceedings got off to a slow start, with most people making comments rather than asking questions. As Jerry Rawlings, former Ghanaian head of state, would say later, "Sometimes the public seem too timid and too polite to question the actions of their leaders."

But eventually, some of those present gathered the courage to raise delicate issues.

Questions on corruption during and after the leaders' terms in office, the inability of the ex-presidents to fight it, the tendency of some to over-extend their stay in power, and the failure of liberation movements to fulfil their promises, were amongst the matters dealt with.

The pointed questions included a query from the moderator to former Kenyan leader Daniel arap Moi. "Mr Moi, corruption, Kenya -- any regrets?" he asked, to the cheers of the audience.

After asking for the question to be repeated, drawing chuckles from the crowd, Moi responded, "Of course corruption is a deadly thing that has destroyed many nations." He said the fight against it should continue, mentioning various agencies that had been set up in Kenya to do just that.

Moi served as president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002. Though he started out with popular support, Moi was ultimately accused of political repression, human rights abuse and allowing graft to flourish. The former leader has himself been implicated in the Goldenberg affair, involving the fictitious export of gold and diamonds, considered one of the worst scandals to occur in the country.

Rawlings acknowledged the ease with which leaders could be drawn into corruption: "Knowing fully well how easily corruptible the position can be, it is your place (as head of state) to empower your people with a sense of defiance, and the courage to stand up to you and question your actions."

"We in Africa are at times too subservient and too polite, and lack the courage to stand up to our leaders and question them," he added. "We have been brought up to think that it is disrespectful."

Rawlings was at the head of Ghana for 19 years, first for a brief three-month period when he led a group of soldiers in a coup. After handing over to civilian rule, Rawlings again took power by force in 1981, accusing the government of being responsible for "doing the same mess they were doing before."

While some have described him as a benevolent dictator, others accuse him of leading a reign of terror in Ghana. He has been widely criticised for overseeing the execution of eight army generals after the first coup, and also the torture and murder of people who opposed his regime.

When a Wits student asked the heads of state to explain the reasons why they had stayed in power for so long, Ketumile Masire, former president of Botswana (1980 to 1998), said there was not necessarily anything wrong with leaders remaining in office for an extended period.

"You should be in office as long as you can perform and as long as it is in the interest of your people," he observed.

But, Masire conceded that term limits were sometimes demanded because certain African leaders overstayed their welcome.

Added Kenneth Kaunda, who was head of state in Zambia from independence in 1964 to 1991, "I stayed for 27 years in office without any apology to anybody."

Kaunda was one of the longest serving presidents of Africa; the latter part of his rule, in the 1980s, was characterised by widespread corruption, economic crises, and public discontent.

The roundtable ended with a call by the former heads of state to members of Africa's diaspora, to return and use their skills and wealth to help develop the continent.

Kaunda said there were 200,000 African scientists in the United States, more than on the entire continent, and 40,000 African doctoral graduates outside Africa.

"It is important to do more than lay out a welcome mat to encourage our brothers and sisters to come back home," he noted.

"We must develop strategies to recruit and encourage, and demonstrate that we are serious about their return."

The forum, which began Thursday, was organised by the African Presidential Archives and Research Centre at Boston University in the United States -- in conjunction with other American, and African, universities. This year's gathering was the fourth of its type.