Naledi Pandor was appointed as the new chairperson of the Nelson Mandela Foundation. (Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)
- Naledi Pandor was appointed as the new chairperson of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
- She succeeds Professor Njabulo Ndebele.
- Pandor will officially assume her new role on 1 October.
Former international relations and cooperation minister Naledi Pandor is the new chairperson of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
The foundation on Monday announced that Pandor would replace the outgoing board chairperson, Professor Njabulo Ndebele.
Pandor will become only the third chairperson since former president Nelson Mandela established the foundation in 1999.
Pandor, who retired from active politics at the end of the sixth term, will officially take over on 1 October.
It follows Ndebele’s retirement after more than a decade as chairperson.
“Dr Pandor offers the foundation just what it needs for the next phase of its development. I wish her every success in the role,” said Ndebele, according to the foundation’s statement.
He added:
It is time for me to step away, make way for fresh leadership, and embark on a new phase of my life journey.
The foundation’s board and staff expressed its gratitude to Ndebele.
The foundation’s acting chief executive, Professor Verne Harris, said: “Professor Ndebele has been a compass to us through good times and bad.”
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Pandor said she was “honoured and delighted” to take on the new role.
“In a world facing so many complex challenges, mobilising Madiba’s legacy becomes more important than ever. I believe the Nelson Mandela Foundation is doing critically important work in the social justice space, and I am looking forward to making a meaningful contribution,” she said.
Pandor and Ndebele will attend the 22nd Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture on Saturday.
The lecture will be delivered by the winner of Nobel Prize for literature, Tanzanian-British novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah, at the Linder Auditorium.
The theme of the lecture is: “Realising our Shared Humanity”.
