Johannesburg – Former president Thabo Mbeki has criticised South Africa’s system of electing its president, calling it “wrong” because Parliament does not assess whether a candidate is capable or “fit and proper” to lead.
Mbeki was speaking on Sunday at Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha during the launch of a National Dialogue for the Eastern Cape higher education sector
He said that it is necessary to question whether a parliamentary-elected presidential candidate is truly capable of fulfilling the duties of the presidency and effectively addressing the needs and challenges facing the nation.
“One of the things they must say in the National Dialogue, the Intelligencia, we have to change the manner in which we choose our president. Because we must ensure that the person who becomes president is competent to carry out all the tasks,” Mbeki said.
Former president Thabo Mbeki says the way South Africa elects its president is “wrong.” @TMFoundation_ pic.twitter.com/ZZa1N41edO
— Faizel Patel (@FaizelPatel121) November 3, 2025
“The manner in which we elect the president is wrong. The question is never asked if a President is capable and a fit and proper person.
“When Parliament said I must become president, they did not have a clue what I was capable of doing, and they never asked,” he added.
Mbeki said the country faces multiple crises — including economic, political, crime, corruption, and continental relations — and stressed that civic disengagement is worsening.
He argued that solutions cannot come from political parties alone and called on scholars and civic leaders to lead a National Dialogue to find practical, actionable solutions to the nation’s challenges.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
