Addressing hundreds of students and academics at Rhodes University's Africa Day celebrations, Mbeki said the youth had a huge role to play in Africa's renaissance.

They should not be afraid to be at the forefront of efforts in this regard.

Africa Day marked many achievements on the continent, including peace-keeping initiatives and promoting political stability in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe, Mbeki said.

However, a lack of efforts to push back the frontiers of poverty and under-development remained one of the continent's major challenges.

He urged students to mobilise in finding strategic ways to improve conditions on the continent as a whole.

The dawn of peace, political stability, democracy, and justice in South Africa was due, in part, to the unflinching sacrifices the people of Africa had made during the struggle against the apartheid system, he said.

Some had even made the supreme sacrifice in the quest for freedom in South Africa.

He urged South African students not to ignore other African countries, but rather to see those countries as providing opportunities for them to put their expertise to use.

In this regard, Mbeki emphasised that South Africa was part of the African continent.

Sapa

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