Annual Lecture 2004

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu delivered the Second Annual Nelson Mandela Lecture on November 23, 2004, in honour of Mr Nelson Mandela.

He said that South Africans had a lot more to celebrate as a country and much more to be thankful for. He added, “The world has still not got over the fact that we had the reasonably peaceful transition from repression to democracy that we experienced.”

Archbishop Tutu also called on President Thabo Mbeki to review his stance on HIV/AIDS. “I would have wished to see far more open debate, for instance, of the HIV/AIDS views of the president in the ANC,” said Tutu.

He reminded the audience that “none of us is infallible and that is why we are a democracy and not a dictatorship. The government is accountable, as are all public figures, to the people.”