Keynote (45–60 min), fireside chat, or panel guest.
Business leaders, policy professionals, academic institutions, and civic organizations seeking insights on leadership, democracy, and governance.
Ambassador Tony Leon Leon’s best-selling new book “Future Tense – Reflections on my Troubled Land ” (Jonathan Ball Publishers, South Africa; Icon Books, London) contains rich data, telling anecdotes and the backstories which have led South Africa to the edge-of-the-cliff in 2021.
Tony Leon tells all in this riveting address.
Tony Leon led and grew the official opposition party in South Africa from the brink of extinction in 1994 to the second largest party and government in the Western Cape in a period of 13 years.
His close-up encounters with some of the leading figures in the country -from Mandela to Ramaphosa -and in the wider world give him unique access and authority to ask how to lead in the toughest times. The future, in our Covid-cratered world,’ is not what it used to be’.
Ambassador Tony Leon offers key lessons in resilience from business to the battlefields in how strong and empathetic leaders meet the challenges of change.
The two largest economies and military forces in the world – the United States and China are on a collision course in the Pacific with global implications for the whole world.
Tony Leon, who served as an ambassador and diplomat and was awarded a Fellowship at the Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, weighs the odds on whether the cold war between these superpowers can engulf us in escalating conflicts or be resolved or tempered.
Ambassador Tony Leon is an acclaimed South African author, speaker, and consultant whose distinguished careers in both frontline politics and international diplomacy have made him one of Africa’s most respected public voices. A trained lawyer and former Member of Parliament for nearly two decades, he led the Democratic Alliance for thirteen years, becoming South Africa’s longest-serving Leader of the Opposition since 1994.
Leon played a pivotal role in the constitutional negotiations that shaped the nation’s democracy and later served as South Africa’s Ambassador to Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. Today, as Chairman of Resolve Communications (Pty) Ltd., he advises businesses in South Africa and South America and contributes columns to major newspapers.
A globally sought-after keynote speaker, Leon has addressed the Council on Foreign Relations, Chatham House, the European Parliament, and the World Economic Forum. His thought leadership has been featured in Time Magazine, The Washington Post, Financial Times, and Harvard International Review.
Ambassador Tony Leon is an award-winning author, noted speaker and consultant, and has had two highly successful careers in both front line South African politics and international diplomacy.
Currently the Chairman of Resolve Communications (Pty) Ltd., he also consults to business in South America and South Africa, writes columns for South Africa’s leading newspapers, and speaks to various audiences.
For nearly twenty years Tony Leon was a Member of Parliament in South Africa, and for thirteen years he led the Democratic Alliance. He is the longest serving Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, since the advent of democracy in April 1994.
A trained lawyer, Leon actively participated in the critical constitutional negotiations that led to the birth of a democratic South Africa. He has been at the forefront of national and international events, both as a front-ranking parliamentarian and renowned orator and writer and as a Vice- President of Liberal International. He has addressed many international conferences, institutes and think tanks from the Council on Foreign
Relations (Washington DC, and New York City) and the Royal Institute for International Affairs (Chatham House), London, to the German Council on Foreign Relations, Berlin, the European Parliament in Brussels and to the World Economic Forum, Oxford Union and Yale Political Union.
Ambassador Tony Leon has been widely published in academic journals and in the media and has authored articles for inter alia, Time Magazine, The Spectator, Harvard International Review, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, Financial Times, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Daily Telegraph, and the New Statesman.
He has published five books: “Hope and Fear: Reflections of a Democrat” (Jonathan Ball 1998), the SA bestsellers “On the Contrary: Leading the Opposition in a Democratic South Africa” (Jonathan Ball 2008), which won the prestigious Recht Malan Prize for nonfiction that year.
Pan MacMillan published “The Accidental Ambassador”, in April 2013. In May 2014, he launched his new book “Opposite Mandela – Encounters with South Africa’s Icon”, to critical acclaim. In 2021, his latest book “Future Tense -Reflections on my Troubled Land” was published in both South Africa and in the United Kingdom. Historian Niall Ferguson wrote, “Anyone who wants to understand South Africa today…simply has to read this book.”
After standing down from the leadership of the opposition in 2007, Ambassador Tony Leon was awarded a Fellowship at the Institute of Politics, John F Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He led a study group and seminar series on Development and Democracy in Africa”. In 2008 he was invited as a fellow to the Cato Institute in Washington DC, where he published a paper on liberal democracy in Africa:
On the nomination of the President of South Africa, he served as South African Ambassador to Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, based in Buenos Aires, from 2009 to 2012.
In 2016 and 2017, Ambassador Tony Leon was visiting professor of political practice at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy, IDC, Herzliya, Israel.
In February 2015, on the occasion of its 90th anniversary, Rotary Club of Durban awarded Ambassador Tony Leon the Paul Harris Fellowship “in appreciation of tangible and significant assistance given for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world.”
Nelson Mandela said of Ambassador Tony Leon on his retirement from political leadership
(2007):”Your contribution to democracy is enormous, you have more support for all you have done than you might ever read about.”
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In this extended talk, Ambassador Tony Leon frames the political evolution of South Africa through successive crisis points and leadership transitions, exploring how leaders navigated systemic challenges and institutional fragility. He begins with the closing years of apartheid and the negotiations under F.W. de Klerk, recounting the delicate balancing act of reformers and conservatives. Leon then moves through the post-1994 era, reflecting on the consolidation of democracy, the challenges of governance, scandals and corruption, the erosion of institutional checks, and the rise of populist pressures.
He highlights pivotal moments in the administrations of Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Zuma, and Cyril Ramaphosa, drawing out themes of accountability, political will, integrity, and adaptability. Throughout, Leon underscores the importance of constitutional guardrails, independent institutions, civil society vigilance, and courageous leadership facing crisis. His narrative weaves personal anecdotes from his time in Parliament, diplomatic observations, and comparative insights from international experience.
In this brief but potent segment, Ambassador Tony Leon addresses the broader arc of South Africa’s history, current challenges, and future possibilities. He begins by reflecting on the legacy of apartheid and the hopes at the dawn of democracy. He then transitions to how the democratic project has fared acknowledging both successes and setbacks.
Leon highlights pressing issues such as inequality, institutional erosion, corruption, and social division as core challenges to South Africa’s future. He frames the country’s trajectory not as predetermined but as contingent upon values, leadership, and civic agency. He emphasizes that South Africa’s democratic promise still depends on the vigilance of citizens, the strength of institutions, and the courage of leaders to uphold constitutional guardrails.
00:30 – 01:30: Legacy of apartheid and the hopes of transition
01:30 – 02:30: Early gains of democracy — inclusion, rights, and institutions
02:30 – 03:20: Emerging challenges — corruption, inequality, institutional weakening
03:20 – 04:10: The necessity of civic vigilance and values-based leadership
04:10 – 04:56: Closing plea — democratic resilience requires active citizens and principled leaders
Leadership in emerging democracies, lessons from South Africa’s transformation, and navigating change in complex political and business environments.
Based in South Africa, Ambassador Leon speaks internationally across Europe, the Americas, and Africa.
Complete the booking form above through Speakers Inc for details and availability.
Katlego Danke hails from the province of the North West having stayed throughout her childhood in places like Mafikeng, Mabopane, Garankuwa and Potchefstroom. She has however also spend some of her up-bringing in Pretoria and Johannesburg and therefore prefers to call herself a South African when asked where she comes from. This 36 year olds […]
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