Foundation Chief Executive Sello Hatang, Coca-Cola Director of Public Affairs and Communications Vukani Magubane, US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Catherine Hill-Herndon, Mandela Fellow Mots Tabane and Coca-Cola's Khaya Dlanga
On 16 September 2014, the US Embassy in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation officially welcomed home 46 young South African leaders who spent six weeks in the United States under President Obama’s Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI).
The YALI participants – now known as Mandela Fellows after President Obama announced the name change at a Washington summit – were placed at various universities and colleges across the US according to their areas of focus: business and entrepreneurship, civic engagement, and public management.
At the welcome-home event hosted at the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, Mandela Fellows interacted with representatives from the US Embassy and networked with prominent South African and American business leaders.
Foundation Chief Executive Sello Hatang urged the Mandela Fellows to reject mediocrity in all forms, saying that the responsibility to do good and create positive change lies within each one of us.
Mandela Fellow Nthuthuko Shezi, broadcaster Faith Mangope and Mandela Fellow Theo Ndindwa. Ndindwa spent six weeks at Tulane University in New Orleans. His vision and business is to develop and grow creative districts in South African communities, which support a social tourism model and drive development of community arts
“As Nelson Mandela said, the quality of change will greatly depend on the quality of leadership. It is up to each one of you to ask yourselves, ‘Am I doing enough to help build the country of my dreams?’ And it is up to all of you to define that dream,” he said.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship programme offers some 500 young Africans an opportunity to immerse themselves in their fields of interest at US tertiary institutions for a period of six weeks.
For the 46 South African Fellows who took part in this year's programme, the experience was incredibly beneficial.
“My six-week internship at the University of Delaware was a liberating experience,” said Cathy Mohlahlana, a Mandela Fellow who helps run an NGO that provides affordable education in Limpopo’s rural communities via schools focused on leadership and community development.
Carice Anderson of McKinsey & Company, Humaira Jassate, a Young African Woman Leader Forum (YAWLF) member, and Graham Vine of Khulisa Social Solutions. 'Two Mandela Fellows are currently at McKinsey, taking part in the leadership programme. I can already tell a difference in their confidence and in their belief in the continent. The project helped them network with other young Africans, which will stand them in good stead as they move towards developing the country of their dreams,' said Anderson
“I’ve seen the challenges South Africans have to live through – but I have returned with solutions and ways in which to change the world I live in."
Mots Tabane, a senior brand manager at Coca-Cola, spent six weeks at the University of Texas at Austin. Passionate about arts and culture and how these elements can inspire and empower young people, Tabane says that her stay helped her understand and appreciate the opportunities available in Africa.
“As President Obama said, the challenges of Africa require the spirit of youth. I have come back more courageous, as I’ve witnessed the incredible things young Africans are doing to change the world. I have come back an affirmed Afro-optimist who sees opportunity on the continent. And I have come back bearing a shared responsibility to integrate my skills learned and impart what I know in order to empower others so together, we can take Africa forward,” she said.
Bonolo Cebe spent her internship at the University of Arkansas.
Khanyi Magubane, Mandela Fellow and SABC presenter and filmmaker, Jasper Watson from Vunani Capital and Vukani Magubane, Director of Public Affairs and Communications at Coca-Cola. Khanyi Magubane described her experience as 'life-changing' and 'intense', saying that it helped her integrate what she wants to achieve with her life.
“What stands out most for me is how much talent lies on the continent, and how many young people have done so much with so little,” she said.
“Immersing myself in the culture and history of the area, I learnt about tenacity – and how essential it is for young people to be tenacious. I also learnt that whatever we think is possible is only a fraction of what is really possible.
“As this year’s Mandela Fellows, it is our responsibility to our communities and to other young people to share our experiences and take part in the development of the next generation of young leaders,” she said.
Mandela Fellow Cathy Mohlahlana speaks
Catherine Hill-Herndon, Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy, congratulated the Fellows with these words: “While it is wonderful to celebrate your return and your achievements so far, the journey has only just begun. We want you to achieve amazing things and turn your dreams into reality. We invited you here to share your business ideas and development projects with local business leaders in order to further develop yourselves; we encourage you all to exchange ideas and take the conversations to the next level.”
Applications to become a 2015 Mandela Washington Fellow come online in October and will be available to all those who register at http://YALI.state.gov. There is no fee to apply, and no fee to participate. All citizens of sub-Saharan African countries aged 25-35 are eligible to apply.
“Do you know a young South African leader with a vision to change the world? Invite them to participate in the next Mandela Fellowship programme – after all, the future of the country lies in your hands,” Hill-Herndon added.