Lindiwe Mazibuko

Lindiwe Mazibuko is a public leader, speaker, writer and academic fellow. She was the first black woman in South African history to be elected Leader of the Opposition in Parliament.

Lindiwe is the co-founder and CEO of Futurelect, a non-profit, non-partisan organisation supporting a new generation of engaged citizens and ethical political and government leaders in Africa.

Leader of the Opposition - Parliament of South Africa (2011 – 2014)

Member of Parliament and Spokesperson for South Africa’s Official Opposition - Democratic Alliance (DA) (2009 – 2011);

Fall Resident Fellow – Institute of Politics at Harvard University (2015) 

Fisher Family Fellow - Belfer Center for Science & International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School (2018)

Author-in-Residence - Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (2016)

Weekly columnist for The Sunday Times, South Africa’s leading national weekly newspaper.    

Master of Public Administration (MPA) Graduate – Harvard Kennedy School (2015)

Edward S. Mason Fellow & John F. Kennedy Fellow - Harvard Kennedy School

World Economic Forum - Young Global Leader (2013 – 2018).

Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society - 2011 Rising Talent

Founding Member – African Leadership Network

Trustee - Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund

Trustee - The Institute for Security Studies

Subject of Owning the Future: Lindiwe Mazibuko and the Changing Face of the DA – a 2013 biography (unauthorised) by Donwald Pressley. 

FELLOWSHIPS

HOW TO BUILD A DEMOCRACY: LESSONS FROM SOUTH AFRICA

A study group led by IOP FELLOW, Lindiwe Mazibuko.

We live in an age in which democracy – save for a few notable exceptions – has been largely accepted as the most legitimate form of government; a time when elections of some description regularly take place in the vast majority (68.9%, according to The Economist) of countries around the world. In the modern world, even the most despotic leaders recognize the popular vote as a legitimizing mandate for government - which is why some endeavor to rig elections in their favor.

This study group will explore some of the complex negotiations and processes behind the foundation of democracies in post-conflict states. Our primary focus will be South Africa’s transition to democracy in 1994, followed by the institution-building process and present-day efforts to entrench democratic principles there.

fortnightly Columnist

21 Jul. 2016: COMMISSION SHOULD NOT BE THE REF OF RACIST RANTS

07 JUL. 2016: THE CLOSED LIST ELECTORAL SYSTEM IS NOT SERVING US

23 JUN. 2016: ANC SEES PARTY AND STATE AS ONE AND THE SAME

09 JUN. 2016: MBEKI MISTRUST SPARKED OFF INSTITUTIONAL CAPTURE

26 MAY. 2016: WHY AN INWARD LOOKING RULING PARTY IS SO KNOTTY

12 MAY. 2016: VOTERS' ROLL CLAUSE A BLACK MARK FOR DEMOCRACY

28 APR. 2016: HOW POLITICAL SPEECH CAN BE A NAZI BUSINESS

14 APR. 2016: SA MUST STOP WISHING AND START DEMANDINg

31 MAR. 2016: GHANA'S VISA RELAXATION A VOTE OF FAITH IN AFRICA

17 MAR. 2016: MENTOR JUST ONE OF ANC'S INCONVENIENT WOMEN

03 MAR. 2016: GENDER EQUALITY STILL FAR FROM BEING ACHIEVED

18 FEB. 2016: LONG-SITTING LEADERS OUT OF TOUCH WITH CITIZENS

04 FEB. 2016: SEXUAL POLICING VIOLATES GIRLS' RIGHT TO PRIVACY

21 JAN 2016: MAIMANE RACE PLAN MUST BE INCORPORATED IN DA

05 JAN. 2016: NOW WE CAN SEE HOW PREDICTABLE "NENEGATE" WAS

08 DEC. 2015: YOUNG POLITICAL LEADERS MUST SEIZE THE MOMENT

24 NOV. 2015: WORDS REPEATED TOO OFTEN CAN LOSE THEIR STING

10 NOV. 2015: SA HUBRIS AND THE TRUTH OF HOW WE ARE VIEWED 

26 OCT. 2015: STUDENT PROTESTS EXPOSE FATAL POLITICAL DIVIDE