Thabo Mbeki

Who Is Thabo Mbeki? Age, Biography, and Wiki

Thabo Mbeki was born on June 18, 1942. As of 2025, he is 82 years old. Mbeki served as the President of South Africa from 1999 until 2008, making significant contributions to the country's political landscape during the post-apartheid era. Known for his intellectual approach to governance, he played a crucial role in various key national and international issues, including economic policies, HIV/AIDS awareness, and African unity.

Occupation	Politician
Date of Birth	June 18, 1942
Age	83 Years
Birth Place	Mbewuleni, South Africa
Horoscope	Gemini
Country	South Africa

Popularity

Height, Weight & Measurements

While there is no official record of Thabo Mbeki's height and weight, he is known for maintaining an active lifestyle even in his elder years. As a public figure, he often emphasizes the importance of health and well-being.

Family, Dating & Relationship Status

Thabo Mbeki is married to Zanele Mbeki, who is also a prominent figure in South Africa. The couple has two daughters. Their relationship has remained strong throughout Mbeki's political career, with Zanele often being a supportive partner in his endeavors. Information regarding Mbeki's dating status outside of his marriage is not public, emphasizing his commitment to his family throughout his life.

Also highly controversial worldwide was Mbeki's HIV/AIDS policy. His government did not introduce a national mother-to-child transmission prevention programme until 2002, when it was mandated by the Constitutional Court, nor did it make antiretroviral therapy available in the public healthcare system until late 2003.

Subsequent studies have estimated that these delays caused hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths. Mbeki himself, like his Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, has been described as an AIDS denialist, "dissident", or sceptic.

Although he did not explicitly deny the causal link between HIV and AIDS, he often posited a need to investigate alternate causes of and alternative treatments for AIDS, frequently suggesting that immunodeficiency was the indirect result of poverty.

Net Worth and Salary

As of 2025, Thabo Mbeki's estimated net worth is around $100 million. His wealth comes from various sources, including his political career, consulting fees, and investments in real estate. Mbeki has been involved in several international organizations and has been an advisor on matters pertaining to economics and governance, contributing significantly to his earnings.

Mbeki appears to have been at ease with the Internet and willing to quote from it.

For instance, in a column discussing Hurricane Katrina, he cited Wikipedia, quoted at length a discussion of Katrina's lessons on American inequality from the Native American publication Indian Country Today, and then included excerpts from a David Brooks column in The New York Times in a discussion of why the events of Katrina illustrated the nece

ssity for global development and redistribution of wealth.

Career, Business, and Investments

Thabo Mbeki's career spans multiple domains, including politics, academia, and business. After his presidency, he became involved in several initiatives aimed at promoting economic development and social justice in Africa. He has also held positions in organizations dedicated to African development, such as the African Union and the United Nations. Mbeki's investments have focused on sectors like real estate and renewable energy, aligning with his vision for sustainable development in Africa.

When he returned to Lusaka from Lagos in 1978, he was promoted again: he replaced Nokwe as head of DIP, and simultaneously was appointed Tambo's political secretary, an extremely influential position in which he became one of Tambo's closest advisors and confidantes. He also continued to ghostwrite for Tambo, now in a formal capacity.

At DIP, his approach was encapsulated by the change he made to the department's name, replacing "propaganda" with "publicity". He eschewed the secrecy of earlier years and openly gave interviews and access to American journalists, to the disapproval of some hardline communists.

According to various sources, he was responsible for reforming the public image of the ANC from that of a terrorist organisation to that of a "government-in-waiting".

Social Network

Thabo Mbeki remains active on social networks, though he utilizes them sparingly compared to many contemporary political figures. He has a presence on platforms like Twitter where he shares insights and engages with followers about his views on governance and social issues. Mbeki's social media activity reflects his commitment to promoting dialogue on national and continental matters.

While deputy president, Mbeki had been regarded as a steward of the government's Growth, Employment and Redistribution policy, introduced in 1996, and as president he continued to subscribe to relatively conservative, market-friendly macroeconomic policies.

During his presidency, South Africa experienced falling public debt, a narrowing budget deficit, and consistent, moderate economic growth.

However, despite his retention of various social democratic programmes, and notable expansions to the black economic empowerment programme, critics often regarded Mbeki's economic policies as neoliberal, with insufficient consideration for developmental and redistributive objectives.

On these grounds, Mbeki grew increasingly alienated from the left wing of the ANC, and from the leaders of the ANC's Tripartite Alliance partners, the Congress of South African Trade Unions and South African Communist Party.

It was these leftist elements which supported Jacob Zuma over Mbeki in the political rivalry that erupted after Mbeki removed the latter from his post as deputy president in 2005.

Education

Mbeki's educational background is rooted in some of the most prestigious institutions. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of the North (now University of Limpopo) in South Africa. Mbeki furthered his education in the United Kingdom, where he earned a degree in economics from the London School of Economics. His academic pursuit laid the foundation for his analytical approach to governance and development.

In conclusion, Thabo Mbeki has continued to be a significant figure in South African and African politics as of 2025. His legacy as a leader, husband, father, and intellectual continues to inspire many across the continent and beyond.

The son of Govan Mbeki, an ANC intellectual, Mbeki has been involved in ANC politics since 1956, when he joined the ANC Youth League, and has been a member of the party's National Executive Committee since 1975.

Born in the Transkei, he left South Africa aged twenty to attend university in England, and spent almost three decades in exile abroad, until the ANC was unbanned in 1990.

He rose through the organisation in its information and publicity section and as Oliver Tambo's protégé, but he was also an experienced diplomat, serving as the ANC's official representative in several of its African outposts. He was an early advocate for and leader of the diplomatic engagements which led to the negotiations to end apartheid.

After South Africa's first democratic elections in 1994, he was appointed national deputy president. In subsequent years, it became apparent that he was Mandela's chosen successor, and he was elected unopposed as ANC president in 1997, enabling his rise to the presidency as the ANC's candidate in the 1999 elections.