Edited and compiled by Suntosh Pillay Many sterling tributes and obituaries have already been written, drawn, spoken and reminisced for the late Professor Jakes Gerwel. In addition to his many other roles he served as chairperson of the board of trustees of the Mandela Rhodes Foundation (MRF), which annually selects the Mandela Rhodes Scholars. Some […]
Mandela Rhodes Scholars
Mandela Rhodes Scholars who feature on this page are all recipients of The Mandela Rhodes Scholarship, awarded by The Mandela Rhodes Foundation, and are members of The Mandela Rhodes Community.
The Mandela Rhodes Community was started by recipients of the scholarship, and is a growing network of young African leaders in different sectors. The Mandela Rhodes Community is comprised of students and professionals from various backgrounds, fields of study and areas of interest. Their commonality is the set of guiding principles instilled through The Mandela Rhodes Scholarship program: education, leadership, reconciliation, and social entrepreneurship.
All members of The Mandela Rhodes Community have displayed some form of involvement in each of these domains.
The Community has the purpose of mobilising its members and partners to collaborate in establishing a growing network of engaged and active leaders through dialogue and project support
[The Mandela Rhodes Scholarship is open to all African students and allows for postgraduate studies at any institution in South Africa. See The Mandela Rhodes Foundation for further details.]
Posted inGeneral
Where the textbook teachers?
By Athambile Masola I’ve been following the Limpopo textbook saga with half an ear. The furore unfolded while my learners and I were undergoing the arduous and exhausting process of mid-year exams. The debacle has been yet another crude reminder of the compromise of a constitutional right as well as the incompetence of the department […]
Posted inGeneral
ANC lives and leads: A burning reminder
By Petunia Mpoza I wake up to the beep of my phone, signalling messages from friends and comrades alike, ensuring departure centres and time. It is at this moment that I realise that it is more than simply individuals from all walks of life who congregate in African National Congress regalia. It is not simply […]
Posted inGeneral
South Africa as a democratic developmental state: Bureaucratically not there yet
By Elnari Potgieter As part of the 2011 State of the Nation address, President Zuma claimed, “Our goal is clear. We want to have a country…where the quality of life is high.” His statement ties in with the South African government’s vision of constructing South Africa as a developmental state, which frames the agenda for […]
Posted inGeneral
Social transformation: we don’t need permission
This post is in response to the recent Community of Mandela Rhodes Scholars (CMRS) “Conversations for Change” sessions held throughout the country in May. As a platform for constructive interdisciplinary debate and intellectual enquiry, the sessions sought to bring together academic institutions, public intellectuals, social activists, students, and community members with the intention of facilitating […]
Posted inGeneral
Believing is seeing: Setting improbable goals as a means to social transformation
This post is in response to the recent Community of Mandela Rhodes Scholars (CMRS) “Conversations for Change” sessions held throughout the country in May. As a platform for constructive interdisciplinary debate and intellectual enquiry, the sessions sought to bring together academic institutions, public intellectuals, social activists, students, and community members with the intention of facilitating […]
Posted inGeneral
Do we need Africa Day?
This post is in response to the recent Community of Mandela Rhodes Scholars (CMRS) “Conversations for Change” sessions held throughout the country in May. As a platform for constructive interdisciplinary debate and intellectual enquiry, the sessions sought to bring together academic institutions, public intellectuals, social activists, students, and community members with the intention of facilitating […]
Posted inBusiness, News/Politics
“A better life for all”: The case for a youth wage subsidy
By Matthew de la Hey The South African unemployment rate is currently 25.2%. This means that 4.5-million people who had sought employment within the four weeks preceding the reference week were unable to find a job. This figure rises to 38% if those who have given up hope and have stopped looking — the “discouraged […]
Posted inGeneral
Distractions, decoys and the South African dream
By Andrew Ihsaan Gasnolar I am troubled by the machinations that I am subjected to on a daily basis by the ruling elite. This is not uniquely South African but rather it is the game that those in power seek to play in order to confuse, delay and complicate our lives. I guess this cataclysmic […]
Posted inGeneral
The deeper purposes of education
By Mario Meyer I have a family member, a cousin pursuing a BCom accounting degree, who regularly derides the (economic) value of a BA degree. My cousin subscribes to the view that the purpose of education is primarily to equip people with the necessary productive skills and competencies to, at least theoretically, access and enter […]
Posted inGeneral
You used to be cool
By Mark John Burke Owen is a good friend from my childhood, school and, even later, university years. We had very much the same interest when it came to girls, subjects choices, future dreams and, most importantly, American comedy. At a certain stage this fondness of cheap entertainment included a sitcom of the animated yellow-coloured […]
Posted inGeneral
UKZN crisis – a letter to management
As has been reported in several media sources, the University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZN) faces another crisis, several contract staff members have not been paid for up to four months of work. Many of those who have been paid have not been paid in full. UKZN management has consistently denied or downplayed the issue, as […]