Sam Sterban speaks at U3A

The next meeting of Helderberg U3A will be on Wednesday June 5, at the Strand town hall, at 10am. The guest speaker is John Michael Sterban (Sam), who had a fascinating career in the diplomatic corps. His talk will focus on the important role the Department of Foreign Affairs played in the orderly transformation of South Africa. It will also cover his experiences as an English-speaking foreign service officer in the particularly volatile period in South Africa’s history, from the time when Hendrik Verwoerd was president, to after Nelson Mandela was sworn in as president of South Africa in 1994. The emphasis will be on South Africa’s dilemmas in trying to expand her relations in southern Africa in the 1980s while being hampered by her internal policy, which was anathema to those countries with which South Africa was engaging. The doors will open at 9.30am when tea and coffee will be available. Guests are welcome. Entry costs R20. For more information, call Brodwyn on 083 604 0784.