Meet our inspiring Chairperson of our Board of Trustees - S'bu Tshabalala

What are your full names, where were you born, and what memories stand out for you from your childhood?

I am Sibusiso Blessing Tshabalala. I was born in the Vaal Triangle, Vereeniging. I was raised by a female-led family. My grandmother and mom have always been my greatest inspiration. Both  happen to be teachers, so I was consistently reminded about the importance of education and good values.

Tell us more about your education background

I started off my primary schooling at Parkridge Primary, in Vanderbjilpark. I finished off primary schooling at the Roshnee Islamic School (was only there for a year). I then moved on to HTS Welkom-a crazy place for boys. I was a border at House Gratia for the entire duration of my high schooling years. Great times! 

You have been a social activist as early as your schooling years. Tell us more about that

In 2006, a group of friends and I started the Dynamica 3099 group. We were a group of 30 learners in grade 9 that would eventually finish off high school in 2009 (that's how we got to the 3099). We were genuinely focused on trying to find ways to develop our surrounding communities.

We did reasonably well and had a number of initiatives that kicked off the ground with the help of several organizations. In 2008, Future Entrepreneurs and SAGE - SA ( companies led by Quentin Eister and Ria de Villiers at the time) spotted us and asked if we were interested in representing South Africa at an international social entrepreneurship competition that was to be held in Brazil the following year (2009). We eventually got involved with SAGE, the group (Dynamica 3099) still exists at the school. Several number my friends who happen to be part of it include, Jerry Mokoroane and Maphori  both studying at the University of the Free State.

 Let's chat about the Google Top 10 honour. What did that mean to you, your community and country?

Each year, Google searches for 10 students internationally, who demonstrate strong leadership capabilities, an entrepreneurial drive and a commitment to social activism.

The Google Young Minds are invited to the Google Zeitgeist Conference, an exclusive three-day event, where over 400 influential business leaders and visionaries from around the world come together to share their perspectives on global issues. These ten students will also take part in a series of ‘master classes’ with the aim of mentoring them to help further their future projects.

The opportunity to represent South Africa was a great honour. To date, South Africa has produced three Google Young Minds, and being part of the three is amazing.

Tell us more about the debating sessions you offer to Free State schools

One of the biggest challenges in the South African schools debating circuit is the lack of access to good trainers/coaches in the province. Schools that consistently do well in the SACCEE league and other competitions often have access to excellent training resources and a dedicated trainer/coach.

This is how the Free State Schools Debating Board (FSSDB ) Saturday School started off. This initiative does not replace the existing in-school training many schools currently have. The objective of the FSSDB Saturday School is to grow the base of debaters from all schools and develop high school debaters who are trained at an advanced level. There is no obligation for any school to participate; we do however encourage dedicated debaters to participate in this initiative.

The FSSDB in a nutshell runs each Saturday (during the term), 9:00am – 14:00pm during the school term. It comprises of the Advanced Training and the Competitive Debating League leg.

 Why did you choose to accept the nomination to serve on our board, and what's your role and vision for the foundation?

I was particularly inspired by the work that the foundation had done in the preceding years before my involvement. The indelible passion of the Managing Director, Ms Nangamso Koza also happens to be quite contagious. More importantly, the programmes and initiatives that tare initiated by the foundation focus on addressing the root-causes we find in the malaise that is our education system. 

The generation that freed us had a mandate - "Freedom in their lifetime". What do you think ought to be ours?

It has become a stock-phrase and probably cliché; but building a base of well-educated and capable young people should be our goal. I think our generation stands a great chance to make this happen. Whether it happens is of course entirely up to us.

Where do you think we should start fixing our schooling thus education system?

This happens to be a difficult question because I think there is no one-size-fits-all approach to fixing our educations. Some of the challenges are structural, some administrative and some have to do with the inability of our leaders to act when they ought to.

But besides all of these challenges, a bigger problem that relates to many other things is the lethargy and unwillingness from ordinary citizens - you and me - to realize their responsibility in building our nation. We are too removed from our problems and at times the only thing we happen to do is harp on about the problems without doing much or anything at all. We lack the agency to act.

 Your message to the South African youth

Find a cause, identify with it and work relentlessly to drive it. South Africa needs young people to take up their rightful space and build our country.

Your favourite book

This is both an unfair and difficult questions, but I'll settle for Paulo Coelho's  'The Alchemist'. Ben Okri's Famished Road is a close contender.

 Tshabalala was part of the Mail & Guardian Top 200 Young People. He is part of the Google Top 10 Zeitgelst Class of 2012. He is a final year law student at the University of the Free State. He is also a regular columnist for various publications.