2020 FW de Klerk Goodwill Award

4 February 2020

The  Board of Trustees of the FW de Klerk Foundation have awarded the 2020 FW de Klerk Goodwill Award to Mr Moeletsi Mbeki.

The FW de Klerk Goodwill Award was established in 2010 to give recognition to individuals and organisations that have made extraordinary contributions to the promotion of goodwill between South Africans. Past winners include Pieter-Dirk Uys (2012), Studietrust (2013), Patrice Motsepe (2014), Afrika Tikkun (2015), Adv Thuli Madonsela and the Office of the Public Protector (2016), the coach and athlete team of Mrs Anna (Ans) Botha and Mr Wayde van Niekerk (2017), and Gift of the Givers (2018).

The Board of the FW de Klerk Foundation decided to present the 2020 FW de Klerk Goodwill Award to Moeletsi Mbeki for the manner in which he has consistently held the rational middle ground in South Africa’s national debate. Mr Mbeki is a businessman, journalist, author and political and economic commentator. He is also the Deputy Chair of the South African Institute of International Affairs.

In these capacities he has become one of the truly free spirits of our national discourse, questioning everything, speaking to everyone, refusing to be bound by any of the prevailing ideologies. By so-doing he has succeeded in communicating across the silos that characterise so much of our present debate. He has challenged us all to question our own assumptions and has reminded us that we all share a common destiny in this wonderful country.

Former President FW de Klerk presented the Goodwill Award to Mr Mbeki at the Foundation’s Annual Gala Dinner in Cape Town on Thursday, 30 January 2020.

Issued by Megan Dick, Communications and Marketing Manager, 4 February 2020