Mazibuko: Africa has a leadership vacuum
Former Democratic Alliance (DA) Parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko believes Africa is experiencing a "leadership vacuum" and that the current crop of leaders have failed to deliver.
Mazibuko was speaking at the World Economic Forum on Africa in Durban during a session titled 'Leadership in an Era of Disruption'.
Responding to the question: 'How can Africa's leaders better respond to and manage the range of challenges it faces?' Mazibuko said Africans tend to ask the wrong questions when it comes to responsible leadership.
"Every discussion we've had here about policy, whether it's the effect of climate change, extremism or civil protest, ignores the underpinning problem, which is that Africa has a leadership vacuum," said Mazibuko.
Mazibuko said the response to climate change and the continent's youthful demographics have been fudged by current leadership.
"We should not be giving that same crop of leaders another opportunity to make more mistakes. We should be asking what we are going to do to cultivate, inculcate and build a new cohort of leaders," said Mazibuko.