Nelson Mandela University stages a series of Institutional Public Lectures biennially hosted by the Vice-Chancellor and aligned to its identity and ethos as an institution in the service of society.
The abstract and/or full text of each lecture as well as a bio are available for download from the bulleted list below each speaker's name.
2024
12 September: 14th Annual Steve Biko Institutional Public Lecture
Adv Ngcukaitobi dissects the role of the SA Legal System in Biko’s Death.
3 September: Raymond Mhlaba Annual Institutional Public Lecture
Prof Richard Levin: The State We’re In: Democracy’s Fractures, Fixes and Futures.
27 February: Second Biennial Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Institutional Public Lecture
Lebohang Liepollo Pheko: Defying the Undefiable: A Meditation on Reparative Memory.
2023
12 September: 13th Steve Biko Institutional Public Lecture
Dr Pali Lehohla and Prof Barney Pityana: Activating the agency of the people to free the land, the mind and the spirit.
6 September: Raymond Mhlaba Annual Institutional Public Lecture
Prof Sydney Mufamadi: “What does it take to create a society of Raymond Mhlaba's aim?”
25 August: Dr Brigalia Bam Inaugural Institutional Public Lecture
Dr Brigalia Bam, Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and Dr Sithembile Mbete: “Democracy: more than just elections”
20 July: Griffiths and Victoria Mxenge Memorial Lecture
Chief Justice Raymond Zondo: “The Role and Significance of a Strong Judiciary in SA’s Constitutional Democracy.”