Africa: Connecting the Dots Between Weak Leadership and Corruption in Africa

analysis

How many former African heads of state have a son who is in prison, accused of embezzling a half a billion euros? Speaking at a conference in Pretoria last week, former South African president Thabo Mbeki said he was saddened by the 'terrible story' that he recently heard while travelling in various West African countries. Those listening to his speech probably didn't have too much trouble guessing whom Mbeki was speaking about.

'I was asking myself, how does that happen? A desperately poor African country needing all of its resources, every single cent of it to make an impact and to change the quality of life of its citizens, but the son of the president steals at least a half a billion euros. How can that be?' Mbeki asked at the African Unity for Renaissance conference, organised by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) and a number of South African universities in the run-up to Africa Day, which took place on 25 May.

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