Zanele Mbeki ( née Dlamini; born 18 November 1938) is a feminist South African social worker who founded the Women's Development Bank. She is also a former first lady of South Africa.

Early life and education

Zanele

Dlamini Dlamini is a surname, common in Eswatini and neighbouring parts of South Africa. People with the surname Dlamini include: List *The House of Dlamini: The reigning royal family of eSwatini * Absalom Dlamini * Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, also kno ...

was born in Alexandra in 1938 where her father was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

priest and her mother a dressmaker. She has five sisters. Mbeki was a boarder at the Catholic Inkamana Academy in KwaZulu-Natal before studying to be a social worker at the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( or ). The university ...

. After working for three years for

Anglo American plc Anglo American plc is a British listed multinational mining company with headquarters in London, England. It is the world's largest producer of platinum, with around 40% of world output, as well as being a major producer of diamonds, copper ...

as a case worker in

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...

, Mbeki moved to London and completed a diploma in social policy and administration at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a public university, public research university located in London, England and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidn ...

in 1968. She later won a scholarship to do her PhD on the position of African women under

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , ...

in the United States, although she left the United States to marry

Thabo Mbeki Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki KStJ (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who was the second president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Congress (ANC ...

before completing it.

Career

While in London, Mbeki worked as a psychiatric social worker at

Guy's Hospital Guy's Hospital is an NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in central London. It is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and one of the institutions that comprise the King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre. ...

, and at the Marlborough Day Hospital. After her marriage, Mbeki worked for the International University Education Fund in Lusaka, Zambia. She resigned in 1980, shortly before it was closed down after the exposure of her boss,

Craig Williamson Craig Michael Williamson (born 1949), is a former officer in the South African Police, who was exposed as a spy and assassin for the Security Branch (South Africa), Security Branch in 1980. Williamson was involved in a series of events involvi ...

, as a South African spy. She was also elected to the

ANC The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...

's Women's League and edited the ''Voice of Women''. Mbeki lectured at the

University of Zambia The University of Zambia (UNZA) is a public university located in Lusaka, Zambia. It is Zambia's largest and oldest learning institution. The university was established in 1965 and officially opened to the public on 12 July 1966. The language of ...

for two years and then worked for the

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrati ...

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...

. When they returned to South Africa in 1990, Mbeki founded the Women's Development Bank, which offers microfinance to poor South African women. While her husband was campaigning, she rarely appeared with him and refused to grant interviews. When her husband became

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

in 1999, she became

First Lady of South Africa First Lady of South Africa is the title held by the wife or most senior wife of the president of South Africa. First ladies of South Africa Apartheid era Post-Apartheid era See also * President of South Africa * State President of South ...

. She is a feminist and an advocate for women's rights. In July 2003, she convened the South African Women in Dialogue, designed to enable women to participate fully in the country's development.

Personal life

Mbeki met

while studying at the University of London and they were married in a registry office in London on 23 November 1974, followed by a religious ceremony at the home of her older sister Edith,

Farnham Castle Farnham Castle is a 12th-century castle in Farnham, Surrey, England. It was formerly the residence of the Bishops of Winchester. History Built in 1138 by Henri de Blois, Bishop of Winchester, grandson of William the Conqueror, Farnham castle ...

in Surrey. He had to receive permission from the ANC to marry and reportedly told Adelaide Tambo "if Papa /nowiki>Oliver_Tambo.html" ;"title="Oliver_Tambo.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Oliver Tambo">/nowiki>Oliver Tambo">Oliver_Tambo.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Oliver Tambo">/nowiki>Oliver Tambo/nowiki> doesn't allow me to marry Zanele, I'll never, ever marry again. And I'll never ask again. I love only one person and there is only one person I want to make my life with, and that is Zanele." The couple have no children and have often lived apart.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mbeki, Zanele Dlamini Living people 1938 births University of the Witwatersrand alumni Alumni of the London School of Economics Brandeis University alumni First Ladies of South Africa South African feminists People from Alexandra, Gauteng