the author
The author
Kingsley Mamabolo left South Africa as a very young man armed with little beyond a fighting spirit and a desire for freedom and the dignity that comes with it. Decades later, having traversed the African continent in roles that would serve him well as a career diplomat, he returned to his family and home country.
His leadership qualities, evident very early on, had him tasked to lead his team from Angola to Germany for military training. His acute intuition enabled him to pick out informers who were sent to disrupt the well-run machine that was the ANC.
He became the person that the top brass of the ANC could rely on and was, therefore, handpicked by the then leadership to assume a diplomatic role while in exile. Responsibility weighed heavily on the young man, but he always rose up to the occasion and on some of those occasions, it was truly a matter of life and death.
Kingsley’s demeanor and personality are greatly suited to peace and conflict resolution as well as negotiations between warring groups. In post-1994 South Africa, he has served in several roles where these qualities have been crucial. This includes Special Envoy to the Great Lakes where he was among those who facilitated the comprehensive ceasefire agreement between the Government of the Republic of Burundi and the Palipehutu – FNL. He’s served in war-torn Sudan and tells of a nation that was on the brink of war within itself and not too long after he left, the country did in fact plunge into one of the worst civil wars on the continent in recent history.
He served as High Commissioner to Nigeria, a country he loves for the warmth and hospitality of its people, the beauty of its culture evident in their food, their fashion, entertainment and devotion higher education.
Kingsley has also served as South Africa’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and simultaneously bore the additional title of President of the Group of 77 plus China (G77 and China).
With his vast experience on the continent, he brought great value to the
African Union (AU) when he served as South Africa’s High Commissioner to Ethiopia.
Today Kingsley, at the pinnacle of a great and illustrious diplomatic career, is South Africa’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. He has served, and continues to serve his country and the African continent with diligence, patriotism and the wisdom that guided him throughout his years in exile.
A loving husband, caring father and African statesman, this book adds one more title that he can and ought to be proud of: An Author!
