On 15 August 2026 the Founder and Executive Director of ACCORD, Dr Vasu Gounden, participated in the 8th Paddy Kearney Annual Memorial Lecture in his capacity as a Trustee of the Gandhi Development Trust.
The keynote address was delivered by Honourable Thoko Didiza, Speaker of the South African National Assembly, on the theme “Working with Paddy.” In her address Ms Didiza reflected on her longstanding professional relationship with the late Paddy Kearney, which began in the 1980s through their work with the Diakonia Council of Churches. ACCORD Trustee Professor Jairam Reddy was also among those in attendance.
Held annually in Durban, South Africa, the Paddy Kearney Memorial Lecture honours the life and legacy of Paddy Kearney (1942–2018), a distinguished South African anti-apartheid activist, human rights advocate and peacebuilder. Closely associated with Archbishop Denis Hurley, Kearney played a significant role in organisations such as the Diakonia Council of Churches, the Gandhi Development Trust and the Denis Hurley Centre. The lecture series seeks to advance the values he championed, including non-violence, peace, social justice, human rights, interfaith cooperation, reconciliation, and the pursuit of a non-racial and democratic South Africa.
The event was attended by a diverse audience representing the religious, civic, academic and political sectors. Among those present were the Mayor of eThekwini Municipality, Councillor Cyril Xaba, and Mr Dhundup Gyalpo, the newly appointed Representative of the Office of Tibet in South Africa, who had visited ACCORD on 12 August 2026.
Over the years, the memorial lecture has featured a number of distinguished speakers who have examined contemporary issues through the lens of Kearney’s principles and legacy. Previous speakers have included the Most Reverend Bishop Paul Verryn, Reverend Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, Father Michael Lapsley, the late Honourable Minister Pravin Gordhan, Dr Raymond Perrier, Judge Chris Nicholson and the Honourable John Jeffery.
In February 2026 the Executive Director was invited by Ms Didiza to be one of her guests at President Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation (SONA) address.
