Interview with Dr. Tshilidzi Ratshitanga (South Africa). Decolonizing Spatial Development in Africa

Tshilidzi Ratshitanga is a Mitchell Fellow and PhD graduate of the School of Public Policy and Administration, University of Delaware, United States of America. He holds an MPhil and Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Port Elizabeth (currently Nelson Mandela University) and RAU (now University of Johannesburg), respectively. Dr. Ratshitanga is also Chairman and Founder of the New Cities New Economies Group and the African Global Consortium. Dr. Ratshitanga previously worked as a senior manager at the South African government’s Government Communications and Information System (GCIS) before joining the private sector and becoming involved with companies in the property development and mining industries. He currently serves on a number of boards, including that of the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA). He previously served as the Chairman of both Bokamoso Barona Investment Trust and Kaborona Investment Holdings. He also served as the Chairman of the Housing Development Agency (HDA), Deputy Chairperson of the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency (GGDA), and Chairman of the Innovation Hub (TIH). Dr. Ratshitanga also served as the official Special Advisor to the current South Africa’s Deputy President, Mr. Paul Mashatile, and still advises him in a private capacity. Tshilidzi is a social activist. He is an active member of South Africa’s ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC). He previously served as Secretary General of both the Congress of South African Students (COSAS) and the South African Students’ Congress (SASCO), which are both ANC-aligned progressive student movements. Dr. Ratshitanga also served the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) in Gauteng Province and was also a Commissioner of the ANC’s 2012 National Congress Elections Commission. Dr. Ratshitanga is the author of the book “New Cities, New Economies: South Africa and Africa’s Grand Plan, A Pan-African Economic Revolution.” In his interview he tells his vision about “New cities. New economies” and his opinion on the decolonization of African spatial development.