ATTENTION: NEWS EDITORS & REPORTERS
Media Advisory
For immediate release
Wednesday, 03 September 2025
The Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA), in partnership with the University of Johannesburg, is proud to announce that Dr Naledi Pandor, Chairperson of the Nelson Mandela Foundation Board of Trustees and former Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, will deliver the 13th Mapungubwe Annual Lecture on Thursday, 04 September 2025.
This year’s lecture will explore the theme: Has the world moved under our feet?. Dr Pandor will reflect on the implications of shifting geopolitical dynamics, the evolving nature of US–China relations, and their far-reaching consequences for global peace, political economy, and the future of US–South Africa relations.
The Mapungubwe Annual Lecture is a flagship event in South Africa’s academic and intellectual calendar. Since its inception in 2012, it has drawn leading voices in global thought leadership, including Ms Graça Machel, Professor Mahmood Mamdani, Professor Thandika Mkandawire, and Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi. The lecture provides a platform for rigorous reflection on issues that shape the local and global political landscape.
“MISTRA is honoured to host Dr Pandor, whose experience in diplomacy and government spans three decades. Her insights come at a time when the world is confronting seismic geopolitical shifts, rising multipolarity, and the growing urgency for South Africa to recalibrate its place in a changing global order,” says MISTRA’s Director Operations, Dr Yacoob Abba Omar. “This year’s lecture will prompt deep thinking on how emerging global trends affect national sovereignty, development, and the Global South’s role in international relations.”
“The University of Johannesburg is proud to partner with MISTRA in bringing together diverse voices to interrogate the forces reshaping our world,” added Professor Letlhokwa Mpedi, Vice-Chancellor and Principal, University of Johannesburg. “At a time when the rules of global engagement are being rewritten, this lecture offers our academic community, and the broader public, a vital opportunity to engage with ideas that speak to the heart of South Africa’s international posture, strategic autonomy, and the future of diplomacy in an uncertain world. It reflects our commitment to being a convener of meaningful dialogue at the intersection of scholarship and statecraft.”
Dr Pandor’s lecture will be followed by a Q&A session moderated by Professor Fritz Nganje, Head of the Politics and International Relations Department, at the University of Johannesburg. The programme will be chaired by Dr Claudelle van Eck, MISTRA Board of Governors member, with opening and closing remarks delivered by MISTRA’s Executive Director, Joel Netshitenzhe.
Event details:
Date: Thursday, 04 September 2025
Time: 16h00 – 18h00
Venue: Ubuntu Chambers, Auckland Park Kingsway Campus, Corner of Kingsway Ave and University , University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park Johannesburg
Format: Hybrid – Register to attend via Zoom: https://mistra-org-za.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jNtID6XfQM20VSrq6ZSiNQ
ENDS.
Note to the media: Media is invited to attend. Please RSVP to Masego Panyane on 084 067 7528 or masegop@uj.ac.za by 2pm today, 03 September 2025. No walk-ins will be permitted.
Issued by:
Masego Panyane
UJ Media Relations
(011) 559 1571
084 067 7528
