media releases - Unisa Public Lecture by Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe

The University of South Africa (Unisa) successfully held the inaugural public lecture by the Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, the Honourable Mr. Kgalema Motlanthe at the Unisa Main Campus in Pretoria on Friday, 27 January 2012.01.30

The lecture, which was held under theme: ‘African Institutions, Intellectuals and Political Resiliency: Lessons, Prospects and Implications for Africa’s Futures’, forms part of a series of planned public lectures initiated by the Principal and Vice Chancellor of Unisa Professor Mandla Makhanya and taking place within the programme : ‘African Intellectuals, Knowledge Systems and Africa’s Futures’ .

In his delivery of the inaugural lecture, entitled “Reflections on the Centenary of the African National Congress’, the Deputy President emphasized, amongst others, the need for the African National Congress to work with other social forces, to shy away from self-adulation as well as continually renew itself in order to remain relevant and continue to lead South Africa and its people.

Professor Mandla Makhanya, the Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University delivered the opening remarks as a prelude to the lecture. In his remarks, Professor Makhanya paid homage to the ANC, an organization that is celebrating its centenary in 2012 and from whose existence and experiences the broader South African and African community can draw insightful lessons.

“ We have organised this lecture today in order to create space for the university community and the broader south African public  to discuss, debate and understand the contents, processes, systems, dreams and values which shaped African movements and institutions which have existed for as long as 100 years, such as the ANC.  It is important for us to examine what shaped and undergirded the ANC and other liberation movements in South Africa and in the continent which were engaged in the pursuance of freedom, liberation, human dignity and ‘emancipation of Africa and South African peoples from colonialism and apartheid reign”, said Professor Makhanya.

After the delivery of the lecture by the Deputy President, the audience also listened to responses from two discussants drawn from Unisa academics, Ms. Puleng Segalo from the College of Human Sciences and the Deputy Registrar, Professor Tinyiko Maluleke.

The lecture was earlier preceded by the launch of the book ‘Reading Revolution – Shakespeare on Robben Island’, by Professor Ashwin Desai and published by Unisa Press. This book chronicles the role played by the literary works of Shakespeare in the political and educational lives of prisoners on Robben Island, particularly in the face of strict censorship by the prison authorities, which was aimed at limiting news and information that the prisoners could receive from outside the prison. 

Professor Desai also handed a copy of the book to Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe.