The University of Mpumalanga (UMP) hosted the seventh Archbishop Thabo Makgoba Development Trust’s annual lecture on ethical and moral leadership at the Mbombela Campus Wellness and Conference Centre on Friday November 25.
Dr Thabo Makgoba is the archbishop and metropolitan of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa.
The UMP’s vice chancellor, Prof Thoko Mayekiso, welcomed the guests. “The annual lecture has become a permanent feature on UMP’s calendar, an occasion that forces us to delve into introspection and think profoundly about leadership, especially its ethical and moral nature. At these lectures, the community and UMP’s staff and students are allowed to reflect and learn about ethical and moral leadership.”
The keynote speaker, UMP’s chancellor and deputy chief justice, Mandisa Maya, said constitutional democracy requires a separation of powers between the legislature, the executive and the judiciary, with appropriate checks and balances to ensure accountability, responsiveness and openness values, supported by the Constitution.
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“But this separation of powers is not absolute and no constitutional scheme can reflect a complete separation of powers. So despite the different roles played by the judiciary, the executive and the legislature, our democracy requires years of government to work together.
“Laws that do not address the specific problems that confront South Africans will have no effect. An executive that does not diligently play his part, is not accountable and does not lead by example, and will ultimately lead to loss of confidence in our laws and institutions, including the judiciary, which is the overseer at the end of the chain and glue that holds everything together.”
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Maya commented on the scourge of gender-based violence. “It is a profound human rights violation. There must an enforcing authority over the law and this authority is found in the courts of law.”
UMP’s deputy vice chancellor of teaching and learning, Prof Shirley Sommers, said Maya’s words have eliminated the path they should be on to restore humanity.
