The Department of Student Services Hosts First Year Leadership Development Program

The Department of Students Services (SSD) recently hosted a first-year leadership development program at Bhekuzulu hall KwaDlangezwa Campus. This imbizo aimed to discuss “Governance, leadership and accountability for modern day leaders: what works and what does not in terms of addressing our societal challenges.”

Themba Godi, the speaker for the day, is a South African politician, he studied at the University of the North, where he completed his Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Education in 1988. Before moving to ESPN McKenzie High School in 1996, he went to teach English, history, physical science, and mathematics up until the year 2000. He  became politically aware when he was at the age of 13 on one of his visit to his father who defended the book by Tom Lodge entitled Black Politics in South Africa, which became the peace of politically related literature that he read and it sparked his interest in politics and increasingly became aware of political oppression under the apartheid laws and poverty and this contributed to his political consciousness at the age of 17.  

 Godi opened with a quote by Karl Marx, where he declared that “philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it.” The challenge for the country is that the majority is realizing the liberation ideal, ensuring that the promise of freedom does not remain a dream the picturality fed. That poverty, inequality, and unemployment, all of these being social constructs, can be eliminated thus guaranteeing the welfare and happiness of the people. These social issues bring up the question of leadership.

Consequently, Godi urged students to be good leaders, as a  leader must have the courage and consciousness to align itself firmly with the people of the society, a leader that leaves the Leninist tick tock he says everything for the people nothing against the people, a leadership that is prepared to speak the truth and all times because the truth is in the interest of the people. A leader is prepared to correct the mistake they make.

He explained the relations of production, as it matters the most as inequality in capitalist societies comes from the social relations of production. “Once proximity to the means of production impacts much more on how leadership governance and accountability arrangements relate to you, as an individual or as a class. It is no coincidence that those with money and power are held less to account, even if their actions are detrimental to the interests of the majority. Political office is by enlarge through the power of the majority and yet the economic power remains in reflection of the past. It is economic power and its interest that produces the political judiciary media and administrative institutions to reflect and serve it. The dichotomy in all postcolonial countries is that through political democracy, the natives have a political office sometimes with the genuine ambition to improve the lot of their people. Which leads to only to being confronted by the might of capital whose interests are at various with those people and those who remain true to the people are overthrown or assassinated and the plaint ones are promoted and celebrated. Capital, with its power will then ensure that so called accountability focuses on the powerless political superstructure,” he concluded.

The wrap up of the Imbizo comprised of a panel discussion, a questions and answer session and a lunch served to students.

-Sinenhlanhla Ngcongo