Young African Magazine
A decade later, the 2010 Mandela Rhodes cohort reflects
The Class of 2010 was the sixth cohort of Mandela Rhodes Scholars. Ten years later, they tell us where they are now, and share some valuable leadership lessons.
DR STEVEN HUSSEY (South Africa & University of Pretoria)
“I currently hold a Senior Lecturer position at the University of Pretoria, where I lead an internationally competitive research group of eight, and was recently bestowed a Prestigious rating from the National Research Foundation. I remain happily married to 2009 scholar Marius and am a parent of two spoilt Dachshunds.”
ATHAMBILE MASOLA (South Africa & Rhodes University)
“My life’s work has been writing, research and teaching about the narratives that are easily left out in the grand narratives of who we are as Africans. I taught high school English for five years, then joined the University of Pretoria in 2017 and recently completed my PhD. I am the founder of Asinakuthula Collective: a group of teachers and researchers working towards challenging the marginalisation of Black women’s historical narratives and intellectual histories. I am also working on an anthology of poems written in isiXhosa and I have a podcast called Umoya: On African Spirituality.”
ZUKISWA MQOLOMBA (South Africa & University of Cape Town)
“I am a senior researcher, senior policy analyst and scholar activist with roots deeply embedded in economics, poverty and public policy work. I have been involved in research, policy development and policy analysis on economic growth, poverty alleviation and job creation for the past 10 years.”
DR ANDY CAROLIN (South Africa & University of Johannesburg)
“I am currently a senior lecturer in the Department of Childhood Education at the University of Johannesburg. I completed my PhD in English literature in 2017.”
DR CLIVE ELEY (Zimbabwe & Rhodes University)
“After completing a doctorate in Chemistry at the University of Oxford, I did a stint as a management consultant. I then helped establish an investment fund focused on exciting early-stage businesses in healthcare, energy, natural resources and retail. I am based mostly in London but have just finished a six-month travel sabbatical, which included extensive travel in Southern Africa.”
DR EMILE ENGEL (South Africa & University of Cape Town)
“I am a Postdoctoral Researcher at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. I work on materials from cellulose, a renewable resource, as alternatives to fossil fuel-based thermoplastics.”
CARA HARTLEY (NÉE MEINTJIES) (South Africa & Stellenbosch University)
“I live in Cape Town with my husband and two year old son. I work as a monitoring and evaluation consultant to government. After a few years without any major leadership roles I am a board member of the South African M&E Association (SAMEA) 2019-2022.”
DR SYDEN MISHI (Zimbabwe & University of Fort Hare)
“I am currently the Acting Head of the Department of Economics at Nelson Mandela University, where I joined as an Associate Professor in January 2020. I serve on the Eastern Cape economic task team for COVID-19 as well as the province’s Economic Commission to guide the economic response and recovery strategy. I got married in 2013 and am blessed with two children, who are my pillar of strength.”
PETUNIA MPOZA (South Africa & Monash University)
“I am currently offering research services to the South African Parliament.”
ADELE CROUCAMP (South Africa & North-West University)
“Since completing my Masters in Social Sciences at the University of Cape Town, I have been working as a management consultant in various industries and countries around the world. I am currently living in Vienna, Austria, where I run the consulting organisation I founded in 2017, called ACConsulting. As a registered Organisational Psychologist, I focus on delivering solutions to corporate clients in the fields of Organisational Development, Change Management and People Strategy Design.”
A LEADERSHIP LESSON FOR THE CLASS OF 2020:
“Always stay grounded and curious.” – Adele Croucamp
“Don’t use your work to prove your worth: while our work is important, it is not the be-all and end-all of who we are. Take time to nourish yourself, so that you can show up for the work that needs to be done.” – Athambile Masola
“Leadership experiences in your youth can teach you a lot about who you are, how you deal with different kinds of pressure and what makes it all worthwhile for you. Many of these will turn out to be patterns. Extract as much self-knowledge as you can to help you make wise decisions in future years.”– Cara Hartley
“The big picture is important. Our world is extremely unequal and climate breakdown is an imminent existential threat. It is increasingly important to connect local struggles for justice with global organising.” – Dr Emile Engel
“When nothing else makes sense, revert to Ubuntu.” – Petunia Mpoza
