A more inclusive, sustainable and diversity-based transformation could foster a genuine common South Africanness.
This is the theme of the 2026 Hoernlé Memorial Lecture, the IRR’s flagship public lecture, to be delivered by scholar and outspoken critic of BEE William Gumede on 18 November.
His lecture is titled “The Future We Share: A New Approach to Transformation”.
Gumede – an associate professor at the Wits School of Governance and founder of the Democracy Works Foundation – argues that transformation has in many respects been captured, manipulated and weaponised for ideological, populist and patronage ends. In part, he says, it has partially collapsed the South African state, deindustrialised parts of the economy and left the country unsafe, while delivering only for a small elite of all colours.
He sets out how a more inclusive, sustainable and diversity-based transformation could foster a genuine common South Africanness.
Gumede’s is the 47th lecture in a series that began in 1945. Past speakers include Alan Paton, Professor Jonathan Jansen and Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi. You can read more about the history of the lecture series on the IRR website.
To attend the lecture, which will be held in The Terrance Room at the Country Club Johannesburg in Auckland Park, book a ticket here before 16 November. The ticket covers finger food and drinks.