The Thabo Mbeki Foundation releases this statement following deep and pained reflection on the General Election held in Tanzania on 29 October 2025.
The Patron, the Board of Trustees, and the entire Thabo Mbeki Foundation extend our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones during the violence unleashed against citizens following the election. We also pray for the speedy recovery of all those injured during this turbulent period.
Following the succession of negative events that led to the tragic loss of life, the Election Observer Missions (EOMs) of our regional and continental organisations, SADC and the AU, have made distressing determinations regarding the conduct of the election.
Collectively, the EOMs concluded that the General Election fell short of the Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections of both SADC and the AU, as well as international standards. As the SADC EOM stated, the Tanzanian voters were unable to freely express their democratic will.
Consequently, both the SADC and AU observers assert that the Presidential and Parliamentary results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are not a true reflection of the will of the Tanzanian people.
This leads to the deeply troubling conclusion that the United Republic of Tanzania currently lacks a legitimate government, suggesting instead that the current administration has been imposed upon the people through a combination of force and fraudulent means. This situation is exacerbated by persistent, disturbing reports of systematic violence against opponents of the CCM, including abductions and murders.
Like many Africans, our Foundation holds the United Republic of Tanzania and its people in high esteem, honouring them as true friends and allies.
During our Africa Day celebrations held earlier this year in Morogoro and Dar es Salaam, we sensed that the nation was not at ease with itself.
We consider it a privilege to claim the late, indomitable President Julius Kambarage Nyerere as one of our own leaders. We remain fiercely protective of his legacy and are deeply concerned by anything that besmirches his memory or casts the country of his birth in a negative light.
While some in Tanzania have correctly noted that the time has come for reconciliation, we are firmly of the view that such healing can only be achieved through an honest, inclusive, and sovereign national dialogue. The nation must jointly answer the critical questions: What went wrong, and what must be done to put the beloved country back on course?
We humbly suggest this course of action, convinced that it is the only means by which a polarised society can unite around the shared objectives of justice, healing, and national unity.
The people of Tanzania owe this outcome to themselves, to the late Baba wa Taifa, Julius Kambarage Nyerere, and to their fellow Africans across the continent.
Max Boqwana
Chief Executive Officer
Thabo Mbeki Foundation
Johannesburg