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By Lebone Rodah Mosima
Minister of Higher Education and Training, Buti Manamela, addressed university students at the Mandela-Sobukwe Leadership Bootcamp last Friday, marking the close of Heritage Month with a focus on youth leadership development at the University of Johannesburg’s Island Vaal Dam.
Speaking to Inside Education, Manamela said the camp seeks to inspire young people to recognise the roles Nelson Mandela and Robert Sobukwe played, while engaging them on the challenges those leaders confronted.
He said that their skills, capacity, and traits should serve as building blocks for future leadership.
Launched in 2023, the Mandela-Sobukwe Leadership Camp has since become an annual event, commemorating Mandela’s 1990 release while equipping students to navigate and address pressing socio-economic challenges.
“We have this annually at Robben Island, and so because of the youths demand we decided that we’ll have pop-ups in the year, where we take students from different campuses, and it’s all conversations on leaderships, entrepreneurship, digital transformation and digital economy topics such as scenario planning,” said Manamela.
He noted that the boot camp goes beyond abstract leadership concepts, addressing the everyday challenges students face on campus. Sessions included discussions on tackling these issues and exploring the youth’s role in the broader post-school education and training sector.
Reflecting on Mandela’s principles, Manamela said he has met students who previously participated in programmes on Robben Island.
Some had been trained as members of Student Representative Councils (SRCs), while others were active in various political formations across the spectrum.
This, he added, helps plant the seed of leadership needed to shape South Africa’s future.
“It’s also about their interpretation of leadership in a different context and how that leadership has had an impact on things that happen,” he said.
He emphasised the dangers of disconnecting from history, cautioning that misperceptions—such as viewing Mandela as a sell-out or solely focusing on Sobukwe’s incarceration—can shape the youth’s future.
The challenges faced by these leaders are not entirely new; rather, it is how their roles and actions are understood that will influence young people today.
To turn ideas into action, Manamela urged youth to take responsibility for their initiatives.
He added that the department aims to foster agency, encouraging students to be resourceful citizens—not only on campuses but in contributing to a stronger nation.
Acknowledging unemployment as a pressing concern, the minister expressed his hope that the boot camp would inspire students to engage in research, innovation, and product development.
He stressed the importance of creating opportunities and jobs, rather than merely seeking them.
“Through the entrepreneurship sessions at this Camp, we hope to inspire student leaders and peer educators to embrace research, innovation, and product development, turning their ideas into realities. The goal is not only for them to seek jobs, but to create jobs. That is the vision we are driving forward through this initiative,” said Manamela.
“The Post-School Education and Training sector is designed to produce graduates who can meaningfully contribute to the economy, whether they come from Community Colleges, TVET Colleges, Universities, or are trained through SETAs. But beyond producing skilled graduates, our country needs leaders. These leadership sessions are about cultivating a new generation of leaders who can contribute in a context very different from the one in which Mandela and Sobukwe grew up.”
INSIDE EDUCATION