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Malegapuru Makgoba
Professor Malegapuru Mampokoro (Poki) William Makgoba, born in South Africa is an academic and public health advocate. His research on lymphocyte adhesion was groundbreaking. He made history as the first African deputy vice-chancellor at the
University of the Witwatersrand and also as Vice-Chancellor of the research-intensive University of KwaZulu-Natal. He has received many awards including the National Order of Mapungubwe (Silver). Professor Makgoba served as South Africa's first Health Ombud from 2016 to 2023.
Notably, he led the investigation into the Life Esidimeni tragedy,
a major human rights violation. “Leadership for transformation since the dawn of South Africa’s democracy: An insider’s view” is
Makgoba’s second book. He has co-authored 17 books
Talk Information:
Leadership For Transformation Since The Dawn Of South Africa's Democracy
August 23, 2024 | 9:00 AM
This book is a personal story of experiences (an Odyssey), observations, and reflections/critique over a 29-year period of South Africa’s democracy. This period corresponds with my return in August 1994 and to a generation in biology/genetics- an important milestone. There is no shading or sanitation of the truth. Only through Truth-telling shall we not only deepen our democracy but also improve as we transition through this generation period.
The story can be summarized in three words: leadership (434), transformation (332), and teams/cabinets (287). The transformation project is broadly revisited and measured against 3 mirror documents: the Freedom Charter, the Constitution, and the NDP.
The economy, education, and health have undergone very little transformation. Infrastructure, electricity/energy, water, and corruption have deteriorated over this period. The text has 3 themes: the 29 years of ‘Odyssey’; national leadership and the role of politics and media in the transformation project. These are seen through the lenses of 4 presidents, 25 ministers, and some of the transformation contestations.