Former President Thabo Mbeki has called for a review of how South Africa elects its president. He made the remarks during a keynote address at the launch of the Eastern Cape Higher Education Sector National Dialogue at Nelson Mandela University over the weekend.
In South Africa, voters do not directly elect the president during general elections. Instead, they vote for political parties to fill 400 seats in the National Assembly, and the president is then chosen by a majority of members of Parliament.
Mbeki argued that this system does not adequately consider the competencies of presidential candidates. He noted that when he was appointed president, members of Parliament had limited knowledge of his abilities and did not assess his qualifications for the role.
He emphasised that the National Dialogue must address this issue along with other key topics on its agenda.
Mbeki suggested that South Africa’s intelligentsia and policymakers should rethink the way the country selects its president to ensure that the office is held by individuals with the necessary skills and capabilities.
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