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

MEMBERSHIPS

 

 

AWARDS

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


Owning the Future: Lindiwe Mazibuko and the Changing Face of the DA

Donwald Pressly

An unauthorised biography of Lindiwe Mazibuko, the first black person to lead the parliamentary opposition in South Africa: a crucial overview of the Democratic Alliance ahead of the 2014 general elections and a tale of the remarkable campaign led by a young team of MPs to replace a member of the old guard. Chapters include: Who is Lindiwe Mazibuko? "Cheeky Blacks". What does the profile of Mazibuko and how Julius Malema denigrated her - say about being young, black and powerful in South Africa today? "Dirty Laundry" For the first time in Opposition history, the intrigues surrounding an internal party election spilled over into local media "Let's talk money" Unpacking the DA's economic policies and how Mazibuko supports these.