Knight of Malta Images

The Duke of Gloucester installs the President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, as a Knight of the Order of St John earlier in 2007



South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki is made a Knight of the Order of St John at a colourful ceremony held at a cathedral in Cape Town on Thursday.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/6648177.stm (Proof Positive) picture 6

From Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thabo_Mbeki

Early years

Born and raised in Idutywa (Transkei),what is now the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, Mbeki is the son of Epainette and Govan Mbeki. His father was a stalwart of the African National Congress (ANC) and the South African Communist Party. He is a native Xhosa speaker. His parents were both teachers and activists in a rural area of ANC strength, and Mbeki describes himself as "born into the struggle"; a portrait of Karl Marx sat on the family mantelpiece, and a portrait of Mohandas Gandhi was on the wall.

Exile and return

After the arrest and imprisonment of Sisulu, Mandela and his father, and facing a similar fate, Thabo Mbeki left South Africa as one of a number of young ANC militants (MK/Umkhonto we Sizwe cadres) sent abroad to continue their education and their anti-apartheid activities. He ultimately spent 28 years in exile, only returning to his homeland after the release of Nelson Mandela.

-Craig Oxley