Perspectives on African leadership in the spirit of Ubuntu

Abstract

There is a surge of literature focusing on African leadership around the world. Nelson Mandela has stood out as an African icon and an international leader amidst the challenges of a globalised world. There is a quest to strike a balance with finding a leader with charisma and passion, and at the same time, finding a brand of leadership and strategic thinking to lead Africa new horizons. African leadership is about African solutions to local problems, and to reconscientise and rejuvenate the hearts and minds of people regarding the richness of collectiveness with an emphasis on Ubuntu (humanness and moral regeneration) and “Umoja” (togetherness). The appreciation that “humanity finds fulfillment only in community with others” and restoration of the moral fibre of leadership can serve as a repository of knowledge and centre of learning in the cornerstone of good governance in African leadership. This article examines the concept and practice of African leadership in the South African context, and on the African continent. The emphasis of this discussion is not only a conceptual understanding of African leadership, but a focus, amongst others, on the leadership competencies, professional values of responsibility and accountability, spirit of collectiveness, humanness and social cohesion.