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RHODES TRUST ANNOUNCES 2018 SCHOLARS-ELECT FOR OXFORD STUDY

JOHANNESBURG/07 December 2018 – The Secretariat, Rhodes Scholarships in Southern Africa is pleased to announce the election of the 2018 Rhodes Scholars-elect for South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia and Swaziland to study at the University of Oxford from October 2018.

The Rhodes Scholarship, awarded for the first time in 1903, provides exceptional students with the opportunity to study at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.

Each year 89 Rhodes Scholars are selected from Australia, Bermuda, Canada, China, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica & the Commonwealth Caribbean, Kenya, New Zealand, Pakistan, Southern Africa (including South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia and Swaziland), United Arab Emirates, United States, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

In Southern Africa there are:

  Ø  four Scholarships every year for applicants from South Africa-at-Large,

  Ø  one for applicants from KwaZulu-Natal,

  Ø  one for applicants from Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia and Swaziland, and

  Ø  one each for applicants of or from:

    o   Diocesan College, Rondebosch (Bishops) and its partner schools, St Cyprian’s School, St George’s Grammar School, Herschel Girls School, and LEAP 1 School;

    o   South African College School, Newlands (SACS) and its partner schools, Sans Souci Girls’ High School and Rustenburg High School for Girls;

    o   Paul Roos Gymnasium, Stellenbosch and its partner schools, Rhenish Girls’ High School and Bloemhof Girls’ High School; and

    o   St Andrew’s College, Grahamstown and its partner school, Diocesan School for Girls.

Applicants to the Rhodes Scholarship are evaluated on academic excellence, character, leadership, and commitment to service.

Ndumiso Luthuli, General Secretary of the Rhodes Scholarships in Southern Africa, congratulated the Rhodes Scholars-elect on their achievement: ‘As always, it is an honour to meet young, bold South Africans who have excelled in the classroom and have begun to tackle significant challenges in the wider world. We are inspired by their achievements, their drive and commitment to the public good. We wish them all the best at Oxford and beyond.’

The Rhodes Scholars-elect for the year 2017 are:  

South Africa-at-Large:

Bronwyn Gavine (26) was born in Potchefstroom and attended St Andrew’s School in Welkom. She completed her MBChB with 1st class honours at the University of Cape Town, and went on to complete her internship in East London at Cecelia Makiwane and Frere Hospital. She is an advocate for equal access to quality healthcare, with a focus on surgical and neurosurgical services. As a student, she ran SHAWCO Health’s Simthandile Clinic and assisted in developing a health promotion programme that was implemented in all of the clinics. She was Vice President of the UCT Surgical Society, and in 2014 she was Deputy Chair of the organizing committee of the International Association of Student Surgical Societies (IASSS), which hosted its inaugural multinational surgery conference in Cape Town that year. She is passionate about neuroscience and neurosurgery, with a focus on disease profiles that impact developing countries, and South Africa in particular. Her research focus has been the burden and impact of traumatic brain injury and tuberculous meningitis in the paediatric population, which she has presented at conferences, and published. At Oxford, she plans to read for an MSc in Neuroscience.

Morategi Kale (22) was born in Pretoria and attended Pretoria High School for Girls. She is a graduate of the University of Cape Town with a Bachelor of Social Science in International Relations (with distinction) and Philosophy. She has recently finished her Honours in International Relations where her thesis was written on a feminist critique of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Throughout her studies, Morategi has worked keenly on increasing and improving youth participation in policy-making – particularly in climate change policy. In 2015, she was invited to join the official South African delegation to COP21 in Paris, where she was invited to speak on a panel for hosted by the World Association for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, and a panel on green jobs organised by the African Development Bank.  She has co-authored and edited a Youth in Climate Action report that will be included in South Africa’s official report on climate action to the United Nations. Morategi looks forward to pursuing an MPhil in Development Studies at Oxford and thereafter, return to South Africa to undertake a career in research and in the public sector.

Lehlohonolo Moche (23) was born in Pretoria and attended Pretoria High School for Girls, where she was Deputy Head Girl in 2012. She completed a Bachelor of Engineering in Industrial Engineering (with distinction) at the University of Pretoria in 2016. She is currently completing masters in Industrial Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand as a Mandela Rhodes Scholar. She is passionate about the empowerment of women particularly in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields and therefore founded a Lean In chapter at the University of Pretoria. Lehlohonolo also as mentors undergraduate engineering students. She is an alumnus the South Africa-Washington-International Programs and the Women in Engineering Fellowship. As part of the programs, she undertook community engagement projects at PEN Ignite Education Centre and at Seshegong Secondary School. She has won the WomEng Technovation Challenge. She intends to pursue a master’s degree in Evidence-Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation while at Oxford.

Koot (Jacobus) Kotze (26) was born in Somerset West and attended Parel Vallei High School. Koot attended Stellenbosch University where he completed his MBChB (cum laude). Koot was awarded the university’s highest academic honour, the Chancellor’s Medal. He has published four academic articles (one as the principal author) and also writes in the media. He currently works in East London, and is excited to be starting community service at Zithulele Hospital in 2018. As a student, he was a co-founder of the NGO TB Proof, which advocates for the prevention of TB transmission, access to new and safer TB medications and the reduction of TB stigma. He was also a co-founder of the Safe Working Hours Campaign, which advocates for the implementation of continuous shift limits to prevent harm to patients and practitioners within the South African healthcare setting. He loves reading, spending time outdoors, dogs, and enjoying the company of his wife, family and friends. At Oxford, will study towards an MSc in International Health and Tropical Medicine.

Farah Jawitz (25) was born in Cape Town and attended Westerford High School. A medical doctor, artist and activist, Farah is passionate about improving the lives of patients and healthcare workers through innovation and human-centred design. Farah is currently serving as the chairperson of the Western Cape branch of the Junior Doctors Association of South Africa, and leads various campaigns affecting junior doctors. She co-led the Safe Working Hours campaign which reviewed the impact of fatigue on medical error and led to a reduction in the maximum continuous shift for junior doctors in South Africa. She is an avid painter, vocalist and clarinettist. Farah aims to pursue an MSc in international and tropical medicine and MBA at Oxford.

Dylan Barry (22) was born in Johannesburg and attended Sacred Heart College. Dylan completed a BSc (with distinction) at the University of the Witwatersrand with majors in Economics and Physics, and has just completed an Honours degree with a focus on theoretical physics. He is a contributing author on the 2017 UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Youth Report and a UNESCO Youth Ambassador. In 2017, Dylan won a challenge posed by Pravin Gordhan and Trevor Manuel to draft a Charter of Economic Rights in supplement to the South African constitution’s Bill of Rights. He was the lead economics contributor on the group of students and academics that authored the Thuto ke Lesedi financial model for free undergraduate higher education in South Africa. Dylan represented South Africa at the 2015 Junior World Orienteering Championships in Norway.

Kwa-Zulu Natal

Kumeren Govender (24) was born in Durban and attended Star College. is currently completing his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) degree and Master’s degree in Health Science on a special dual-track degree program at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), South Africa. During his undergraduate years of study, he has published numerous peer-reviewed articles, written letters to journal editors and presented at conferences. He founded the South African Medical Students Association UKZN branch and coordinates numerous social campaigns. He is an accomplished violinist and also swims the Midmar mile, which is the world’s largest open water swim. Govender hopes to bridge knowledge from developed worlds to developing worlds and contribute to pioneering innovative and interdisciplinary solutions that are globally relevant to ultimately improve the lives of those burdened by diseases.

Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia and Swaziland:

Temwa Chimphepo (22) was born in Malawi and attended the Marymount Catholic Secondary School. She holds a Bachelor of Social Science degree (Economics) with Distinction from the University of Malawi, Chancellor College. Temwa was awarded the National Bank of Malawi: Best Student award for the Faculty of Social Science in 2016. She developed interest in Mathematics and started working on Statistics for Economists and Abstract Algebra books; planned for completion in 2018This award came with a cash gift that Temwa used to provide gifts for SOS Children’s Villages in Mzuzu. Temwa has served as an intern at World Bank in Malawi and was part of the team drafting the fifth edition of the Malawi Economic Monitor launched in June 2017. She has also interned at World Vision Malawi in the Education Department. At Oxford, Temwa will study towards an MSc in Mathematical and Computational Finance and an MSc in Financial Economics. Upon completion of her studies, Temwa intends to be a lecturer and an investor raising money to sustain philanthropic organisations.

Schools’ Scholars-Elect

Bishops, St Cyprian’s, St George’s Grammar, Herschel Girls, and LEAP 1 School

This committee did not award a scholarship for 2018.

SACS, Sans Souci Girls’ and Rustenburg High School for Girls

This committee did not award a scholarship for 2018.

Paul Roos Gymnasium, Rhenish Girls’ High and Bloemhof Girls’ High

Helene-Mari van der Westhuizen (27) choose a career in medicine as it represents an intersection between people’s stories, science and policy. She obtained an MBChB (cum laude) from the University of Stellenbosch. She is co-founder of the NGO, TB Proof, which focuses on preventing Tuberculosis transmission in healthcare facilities and reducing TB stigma. She co-led the Safe Working Hours campaign which reviewed the impact of fatigue on medical error and led to a reduction in the maximum continuous shift for junior doctors in South Africa. She founded the Stellenbosch University Medical Orchestra in which she played the oboe for five years. Helene-Mari would like to pursue a career in public health and intends to study Primary Care at Oxford University, looking at strategies for TB prevention in high burden settings.

St Andrew’s College

Aaron Graham (23) was born in Johannesburg and attended St Andrew’s College in Grahamstown. He graduated from the University of Cape Town in 2016 with first class honours in a BSc. Eng. (Mechanical). He is currently completing an MSc. Eng. focusing on Continuum Mechanics and Finite Element Methods. Throughout his university career he has been heavily involved in student organisations, focusing on ethical leadership and effective governance, winning an award for best performing sub warden. He is an officer in the South African Navy, spending a couple of months per year with them. Aaron intends to read for a DPhil in Engineering Science at Oxford, focusing on material characterisation and FEA modelling of soft biological tissue during impact events. Aaron spends his free time hiking, running and reading, as well as tending to his bonsai.

For further information please contact Annette Gibson at rhotrust@pixie.co.za or Trudi Makhaya at trudimakhaya@gmail.com or visit  https://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/about/rhodes-house/

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Milk too messy for sterilised corporates

At a pan-African conference with more than 40,000 delegates, one imagines that a not insignificant proportion of attendees are parents of young children. There is also the emerging trend of business travellers who take their children along on business trips, out of choice or circumstance, as I tend to do.

Yet when I asked the conference organisers if they had considered adding a childcare booth as part of the conference amenities, I was met with bewilderment.

I shouldn’t be surprised. I have hosted a conference in Cape Town myself and not once did the thought of childcare enter my mind. We live in a world with hard boundaries between the spheres of paid work and care work. Parents have to split themselves into parts, and in many ways, it remains taboo to let these spheres intersect.

On my first business trip with my baby daughter, I had to attend a two-day conference held at a hotel outside Stellenbosch. I booked into the hotel, located on a large property with lovely walkways and with one of the rooms converted into a cosy playroom. This was not a good way to start, because it was too easy and convenient, and raised my expectations. On the next trip, I ended up at a high-end hotel in the Cape Town central business district. It had great facilities but on inquiring about the playroom I was informed that the hotel caters to business travellers. I, too, am a business traveller.

Once, a client-side colleague on a project told me that when she had a young baby that fact was not visible in her work life. She was juggling graduate school and building a consultancy and none of the people she encountered in her work-life would have guessed that she had a newborn. The implicit advice was that I do the same lest I lose out on opportunities. In the context of our conversation, that advice did not come across as harsh as it might sound and was probably a little exaggerated. But it still raises concern.

Have we set up workspaces where parenting has to be invisible? Where it’s aspirational to take time off for a soul-searching sabbatical but admitting to the demands of childcare seems like shirking?

As one who acts as an adviser to organisations in various capacities, I have a vantage point into the diversity of support offered to parents in the workplace. I have had to pump breast milk in bathrooms (would you make a sandwich in a bathroom?), once in a Top 40 CEO’s office suite (a lovely gesture aimed to conceal inadequate facilities) or at the airport clinic en route to an institution I knew would be hopeless on that front.

But the worst part about pumping is the product.

A US woman entrepreneur, founder of Naya Health Janica Alvarez, set out to revolutionise the user experience with a smart pump that does not make the hideous sound, collects more milk (and useful data) and is truly portable. But she is reported to be struggling to raise the next level of financing from (male-dominated) venture capital firms.

Global health guidelines are unanimous on the value of breast milk, but financiers fail to appreciate the opportunity to transform the user experience.

Finally, I should mention I’ve begun to make a conscious effort to refer to “parents” in discussions, because they so easily scale down to the challenges facing working mothers. The triumphs and trials of modern parenthood are framed as if men are not part of the equation. It is dismissive of fathers, and families led by men only, to proceed from the assumption that a woman should always be the lead parent.

(Published originally on Business Day on 21 November 2017: https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/opinion/columnists/2017-11-21-trudi-makhaya-milk-too-messy-for-sterilised-corporates/)

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Social Enterprise Masterclass Challenges Delegates to Build Sustainable Organisations

The concept of social enterprise has gone mainstream over the past few years, reflecting a desire for new ways to create economic value in a manner that delivers measurable social impact. This year’s Global Entrepreneurship Week kicked off on 10 November at the continent’s largest start-up campus, 22 on Sloane in Bryanston. On Wednesday 15 November, the venue hosted masterclasses on various aspects of entrepreneurship such as social entrepreneurship, funding strategies for small business, purpose-driven enterprise, as well as inclusive growth.

The first session, Social Enterprise and Impact Investment, kicked off with Mbali Zamisa, enterprise Programme Coordinator of the South African Breweries Foundation talking about various SAB Foundation enterprises that seek to fund various small businesses. These include the Tholana Enterprise, which seeks to empower marginalised groups such as women, youth and rural business.

The room comprised mostly of determined and engaged entrepreneurs whose business’ life span ranged from one to five years old. Rudzani Mulaudzi from Grades Match and Nneile Nkholise from Likoebe Innovation Consultants spoke about impact investment and measurement.

No let-down was The Disruptors author Kerryn Krige’s talk on the complexities and contradictions of social entrepreneurship and especially what it really is. Her talk featured many salient questions and statements that served as food for thought for entrepreneurs:

  • How am I going build stability in this organization?
  • Legitimacy and authenticity are inextricably linked
  • Funding social value in a sustainable way
  • Social enterprise blends income methods which enables you to have control over the types of income you bring in
  • It’s not about how much money you get!

 

Other important take-aways were about were remembering that ‘‘your story is more important than your numbers but use numbers to back up your stories (“finance people aren’t as stupid as they look!”), and the importance of doing homework on your investor, needing your investor to offer more than just money, and enhancing your own ‘‘investability’’.

The Future of Sustainable Job Creation talk with Managing Director Zanele Luvuno of Transcend Talent Management explored the ways in which policy creation can aid job creation and exposed challenges with implementing BEE legislation. The objective was to invite professionals to see beyond corporate life and tap into research and business development facilities to pursue small business development.

The last session on Integrating the Township and Informal economy by Sifiso Moyo was a dialogical sitting that had all delegates debating on the ways in which the township could benefit more from entrepreneurial ventures. Moyo asked critical questions that involved historical facts, relevant statistics and real-life case studies to observe and analyse successes and failures of a few entrepreneurial ventures in the township. The theme of the Township Renaissance was an indispensable topic that pushed the entrepreneurs, many who are from the township, to shift mentality and think of innovative ways of serving their communities with the intention of creating a strong township eco-system in which the rand would circulate numerous times and not only once in a context where R2.2 billion rand is generated out of township economy annually. This challenge presented the opportunity for township entrepreneurs to become real and legitimate competitors with big competitors and franchises.

Global Entrepreneurship Week endeavours to host more events in which more entrepreneurs will actively and consciously engage with like-minded peers who have succeeded such as Vusi Thembekwayo, who graced this week’s first event. The Masterclasses were informative, thought-provoking, and mostly motivating to the passionate and driven young youth who came to learn from the best in the business.

Written by: Gabaza Tiba (Makhaya Advisory)

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Live your lives/The slasher revolution

Premium cognac brand, Rémy Martin, has featured two inspiring South Africans in their latest advertising campaign, which launches this week. The campaign, entitled “One Life. Live Them.” has entered its third year, continuing the call for individuals to explore a life that is rich with experience.

“The call “One Life. Live Them.” encourages people to live their lives to the fullest,” explains Phil Voget, Rémy Martin Marketing Manager. “We want to inspire people to explore their many talents and diverse interests, instead of simply being defined by just one thing that they do. Over the past two years of the campaign, we have featured local individuals who have inspired us by living extraordinary lives. This year, we continue with this, and feature two gentlemen who are truly more than just the name on their business cards, who truly embody the concept of being defined not just by one thing, but by many”.

The 2017 campaign features two local faces – Sivu Madikana and Madoda Khuzwayo – who were picked by the brand because of the range of experiences they have, and the accomplishments they have achieved. The campaign features each individual, describing them by their “slashes” – the passions that drive them and which make them unique.

Sivuyile Madikana is a lover of fashion, a trailblazer, a humanitarian and a mentor. At only 30 years old, he is something of a phenomenon and intellectual renaissance man. As well as a qualified medical practitioner, he is somewhat of a social media super-star and fashion trendsetter. Last year he was featured as one of GQ’s Best Dressed Men of the year. He is also a leading voice in social-activism and uses digital media as a means of promoting health consciousness.

He considers himself a lifelong learner, made the Mail & Guardian’s 200 Top Young Influential South Africans list and is currently undertaking his second Masters Degree in Public Health at New York University.

“There is absolutely no substitute for hard work. In the process of working hard, work smart, enjoy the journey that is life. When you look back, know that you lived life to the fullest and you did it ALL,” he explains.

Madoda Khuzwayo joins Rémy Martin as a face of the One Life. Live Them campaign for the second year in a row. He is an inventor, businessman, educator and technologist, as well as an avid traveller and foodie. Growing up in KZN, he moved to Gauteng and studied engineering, but found that his passions lay in online and mobile technologies. He has subsequently founded a number of companies, one being HOSTRIVER, an accredited ISP that provides web presence solutions to businesses across Africa.

He is now a serial technology entrepreneur working across London and South Africa.

He also has a passion for food, which, along with his travel experiences, led to him developing a food and recipe portal dedicated to publishing unique recipes from around the world, provided by professional chefs and brands.

He hopes that he can inspire other generations: “We are here to build, but you have to dream big and work insanely hard. Don’t hold back and don’t wait for it to come to you – go and get it. Life is beautiful and what you make of it. Do big things. Don’t be afraid to try new things. Don’t be afraid to fail either, because only by learning these lessons can we succeed.”

The campaign was developed by local advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi Brandsrock.

The Rémy Martin campaign launches at the beginning of October and will run throughout the summer season. You can see more of the campaign on the website remymartin.co.za, the brand Facebook page @remymartinsouthafrica or YouTube 

Campaign credits:

  • Creative agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Brandsrock
  • Campaign photography: Sacha Waldman
  • Campaign videography: Motif Studios

Author

Paula Wilson: The Friday Street Club
paula@thefridaystreetclub.co.za

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Mzansipreneur Reading Room…work, read, reflect

Introducing the Mzansipreneur Reading Room, in the heart of Norwood, a calm space for work and reflection…This is a space where entrepreneurs, creatives, dreamers can read, work, write, share ideas or just be. 

We offer hot-desks that you can use for a couple of hours to work and enjoy coffee and food ordered from one of the many restaurants in Grant Avenue. There’s great wifi but this is not a business services centre. This is like your old school library where you can punctuate work with browsing our evolving collection of books and magazines on business, creativity, leadership and entrepreneurship that showcases diverse authors and ideas. Here you will find stories of local entrepreneurs like Miles Kubheka alongside a polemic on work/family balance by Anne-Marie Slaughter next to a back issue of the Gentlewoman. 

To become a member of the Mzansipreneur Reading Room, drop us a line at mzansipreneur@gmail.com or makhayaadvisory@gmail.com.