Hosted by Tshikululu Social Investments and the FirstRand Foundation, each speaker captivated the audience by delivering a 20-minute presentation on what they were doing to resolve issues in SA, ranging from renewable energy, unemployment and early childhood development to shortfalls in leadership.
“Tshikululu Social Investments has been delivering on social investment for the past 20 years. Building on solid experience through fresh approaches and strategic innovation has been one of Tshikululu’s strengths since inception. It has been a profound experience today to see how the youth are mobilising to address persistent issues in our society using unconventional solutions," said Tracey Henry, CEO of Tshikululu.
Zulaikha Patel: The 15-year-old who led the protest against hair policies at Pretoria Girls’ High School just over two years ago, and has since become a global icon advocating for women’s rights and African identity. Patel’s talk focused on what changes needed to be made in education to break down cultural perceptions held by teachers.
Dr Sandile Kubheka: A practising doctor at the age of 20,, the gifted Kubheka is the youngest doctor in South Africa. He discussed the gap that exists between private and public healthcare, and the challenges of providing healthcare to South Africa’s geographically dispersed populations. Earlier this year, Kubheka was voted the fourth most influential South African of 2018.
Trevor Lwere: An 18-year-old Ugandan student from the African Leadership Academy, Lwere presented on African democracy being undermined by world financial bodies and multinational corporations. He also talked about the urgent need to groom the next generation of African leaders, noting that “only 6% of African students have access to post-secondary education. It’s a scary reality given that the average age in Africa is 17-18 years. Will future leaders be educated to deal with the problems at hand?”
Research Professor at the University of Stellenbosh Dr Nic Spaull focused on early childhood schooling, stressing that the system is failing children at the first hurdle and that all subsequent problems in a child’s school life is a direct result of leapfrogging early childhood literacy. Spaull identifies the fact that “78% of students cannot read with meaning by grade four and this is the key binding constraint in South Africa’s education”.
Other notable speakers included academic and author Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, researcher Ayanda Charlie, and digital entrepreneur Allan van der Mullen.
“Learning about how respective young people and organisations are taking it upon themselves to take social investment seriously in their daily activities has been a remarkable experience. This is one the best conferences I have been to. The content was energising, impactful and authentic. All 20 of today’s speakers were absolutely brilliant!” said Beth van Heerden, executive of Arts & Culture at FirstRand Foundation.
