This publication is the outcome of a conference marking the beginning of South Africa’s third decade of democracy hosted in November 2014 by the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA) and the Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Institute (TMALI) at the University of South Africa (Unisa). The conference was entitled 20 Years of South African Democracy: So Where to Now? The main focus of the conference was projective reflections into the next two decades of democracy. It aimed to deal with the theoretical perspectives underpinning the state of South Africa in two decades of democracy and, most importantly, prospects for the future.

This publication covers the following main themes of the conference:

Reflections on Historical Moments
The South African Political Economy
Values, Nation Formation and Social Compacting
Innovation and Transdisciplinary Knowledge for Action
Building a Capable Development State

Contained herein are inputs from a wide range of prominent South African and international thinkers, practitioners and activists. Some are in the form of prepared papers and others are taken from transcripts of presentations. They are presented in the hope that the thought-provoking and incisive discourse that took place at the conference can contribute to the continuation of a discussion that, by its nature, can have no end.

Contributors: Justice Dikeng Moseneki, Frene Ginwala, Sydney Mufamadi, Mayor Parks Tau, Pascal Moloi, Patricia McFadden, Trevor Manuel, Miriam Altman, Albie Sachs, Renosi Mokate, Vusi Gumede, Pregs Govender, Raenette Taljaard, Mammo Muchie, Mazibuko Jara, Hester du Plessis, Tshilidzi Marwala, Imraan Patel, Erika Kraemer-Mbula and Sibusiso Vil-Nkomo.