By Adonis Byemelwa
The reflections of Thabo Mbeki on Tanzania’s deepening political crisis come at a moment when the region is confronting uncomfortable questions about the future of democratic governance.
His foundation’s statement on the October 29, 2025, Tanzanian general election conveys a significance that surpasses typical diplomatic concerns; it instead sounds like the heartfelt testimony of a statesman who has spent decades observing Africa struggle with the promises and betrayals of democracy.
The severity of the Foundation’s language, declaring that Tanzania “lacks a legitimate government,” highlights how far the situation has drifted from the ideals that once guided the continent’s liberation movements.
What gives the statement its moral force is not just the assessment of the election itself, but the sense of disappointment threaded through it.
The Foundation highlights findings from regional and international observer missions that described the vote as falling short of basic democratic standards, but its condemnation feels less like a technical report and more like a lament.
According to the Foundation, Tanzanians were denied their fundamental freedoms during the electoral process, leaving the official results not merely questionable but fundamentally detached from the will of the people.
The implication is stark: a government that emerges from repression and manipulated processes cannot claim moral authority, no matter the legality of its structures.
That sense of sorrow is consistent with Mbeki’s long-standing belief that democracy is not simply a matter of voting but of nurturing a political environment where integrity and trust can flourish.
When the Foundation speaks of a “deep and pained reflection,” it signals a recognition that Tanzania’s crisis is not an isolated misstep. It is part of a broader continental struggle in which democratic aspirations repeatedly collide with the temptations of power and the erosion of political ethics.
Mbeki’s own recent experiences sharpen this sentiment. While in Dar es Salaam on 21 May 2025, he recalled with visible disappointment an invitation he once received from the Chama Cha Mapinduzi Youth League in Zanzibar.
What he witnessed there struck him deeply: young people competing for power not through ideas, not through ideological clarity, but through money. “Even the youth are buying votes,” he observed, his frustration unmistakable.
To him, this wasn’t a mere procedural flaw; it was a betrayal. A betrayal of the liberation struggles that once inspired unity and purpose across the continent.
“This is not democracy. This is decay,” he said, drawing a clear line between the noble aspirations of earlier generations and the corrosive behaviours taking root today.
What made his reflection even more powerful was his willingness to turn that critique inward. Mbeki did not spare his own party, the ANC, acknowledging that even South Africa’s once-revolutionary movement seemed to have wandered from its moral compass.
He spoke frankly about veterans clinging to relevance despite offering little in the way of substantive guidance or innovation.
In doing so, he connected Tanzania’s crisis to a continental pattern: liberation parties forgetting the values that legitimised them in the first place.
His prescription was not cynical but resolute. Skills matter, he insisted, but values matter more. Africa’s democracies cannot survive on technocrats alone if the ethical foundations continue to crumble. “We need loyalty to principles, not just personalities,” he urged.
In that single line, he captured the heart of the problem: politics driven by allegiance to individuals inevitably becomes fragile, easily corrupted, and vulnerable to abuse.
Politics rooted in principles, on the other hand, can withstand leadership transitions, dissent, and the pressures of modern governance.
It is with this philosophical grounding that the Thabo Mbeki Foundation views Tanzania’s current turmoil. The post-election violence, the reports of abductions and killings, and the allegations of widespread intimidation have all deepened its concerns.
Even while avoiding specifics, the Foundation’s message conveys grief for the families who lost loved ones in the unrest.
To Mbeki and his colleagues, reconciliation cannot begin until there is a full and honest accounting of what went wrong. Truth must come before healing, and justice before political convenience.
This belief places the Foundation at odds with the Tanzanian government’s attempt to launch a domestic Commission of Inquiry.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan has framed the commission as the first step toward a national reconciliation process, but the opposition has firmly rejected it, insisting that only an international and independent investigation can carry the necessary credibility.
Their distrust is rooted in a long history of state-controlled inquiries that have failed to produce meaningful accountability. The Foundation, while diplomatic, clearly leans toward a more inclusive and transparent approach, arguing that Tanzanians need a process that commands broad public confidence rather than one perceived as designed to contain dissent.
International reactions have added urgency. The United Nations has demanded a thorough investigation into the election-related violations, noting disturbing accounts of security forces removing bodies and taking them to undisclosed locations.
The European Parliament’s objection to development funding sends an unmistakable signal that Tanzania’s political crisis is not a domestic issue alone; it has become a matter of global concern, shaping how the world perceives the country’s commitment to democracy.
Yet even amid this turmoil, the Foundation’s tone is not hopeless. Its statement affirms a deep respect for the Tanzanian people, their history, their resilience, and their capacity for renewed political integrity.
Mbeki’s admiration for Tanzania’s founding principles shines through, especially his reverence for Julius Nyerere’s vision of equality, integrity, and the rule of law. These values, he insists, are not relics of a bygone era. They remain the essential ingredients for a stable and just society.
It was fitting, then, that Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, former Tanzanian president and current UDSM Chancellor, delivered a heartfelt vote of thanks in response to Mbeki’s reflections.
His words painted Mbeki not simply as a statesman, but as a “citadel of change”, a figure who continues to challenge Africa’s leaders and citizens alike to reach higher, to demand better, and to remember the ideals upon which their nations were built.
In the end, the Thabo Mbeki Foundation’s condemnation of Tanzania’s election is more than a critique of one flawed political process. It is a call to conscience.
A reminder that democracy is not self-sustaining and that the values underpinning it must be defended continuously. For Tanzania, and for the continent, the path forward lies in truth, inclusiveness, and an unwavering return to the ethical principles that once lit the way toward freedom.
