2019 Cohort

Gamuchirayi Manyadzi is an undergraduate scholar pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Economics. She is skilled in engaging with people and problem-solving. She is passionate about giving back to her community by creating learning and literacy initiatives at her home village. Her vision is to contribute to the development of her community in Zimbabwe and give a hand to ensure that everyone gets an opportunity to receive education in Africa. In addition, Gamuchirayi is also active in other outreach activities in Zimbabwe. In 2016 she served as the secretary for the Chishawasha Residence Association. She also participated in a campaign for fundraising sanitary pads for girls in her community and serves as a mentor for high school girls, and tutors English and Maths in her village in Zimbabwe.

Munashe Benhura is an undergraduate scholar pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is a self-motivated young man who is always beaming with energy. He is a hard- working person in his studies and was ranked 12thoverall in his Advanced level results in Zimbabwe. He is an individual that believes that all problems can be solved through science. He has a keen interest in the science of flying machines and hopes to venture into Aeronautical engineering. He is much greatly inspired by founder of SpaceX and Tesla Motors, Elon Musk, who is one of the worlds leaders in the field.

Diana Asiko Eshibukho is an undergraduate scholar pursuing a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. She exudes self-confidence and authority; a trait she acquired as a customer service agent, during her internship at Equity Bank Kenya. She is skilled in photography, fictional writing and art. She has used her photography skills in aid of the design of a website `INVEST IN KENYA’ created in partnership with another UCT Mastercard Scholar/Alumni, Crispus Maina. Diana is interactively engaged with the UCT 100UP LEARNERS program. A volunteer initiative based at the University of Cape Town, that involves teaching mathematics to grade 11 and 12 students. She has begun a small start-up back at her country (Kenya) known as `THIS IS ME KENYA’ which focuses on mentoring street children and donating to disadvantaged children in children homes and orphanages.

Siphuxolo Labithi is a triple major undergraduate scholar pursuing a Bachelor of Social Science in Politics, Sociology and Religious Studies. He is an ambitious, hard-working, disciplined and dedicated young man who is ever aspiring to grow and improve. He is a talented orator and skilled in community engagement; and is passionate about social change and leadership. Siphuxolo is a member of social change organisations SHAWCO and Inkanyezi based at the University of cape Town. Prior to commencing his studies at UCT, He founded a chess society in his hometown and was part of the Global Organisation “World Vison” as well as “Molo Songololo”. Both organisations are focused on promoting and protecting child rights and assisting assaulted children. Siphuxolo also started his own “Spaza Shop” as a result of his entrepreneurial skills. He holds numerous awards from his secondary level of Education as a result of recognition of academic excellence He has also won trophies in sport like the Gavin Manual Trophy and Player’s Player of the Year award domestically in 2017 and in the same year was part of representing the Western Cape District in football.

Rodrick Mwale is an undergraduate scholar pursuing a Bachelor of Social Science with majors in Political studies and Economics at UCT. He is a young man who is very passionate about giving back to the community from as far back as his High school days, where he spearheaded cleaning campaigns at Old Age Homes, Orphanages and, also initiated fellow students into donating clothing to the less privileged children at a local orphanage in his hometown. Rodrick has an impressive academic record which always landed him among the top achieving students at his former school. Furthermore, he is passionate about debate, the world of politics and economics.

Wilson Fongong is an undergraduate scholar pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Law at UCT. He is passionate about advocacy and writing as a tool for promoting justice and inclusiveness. Back in his home country, Wilson founded a social entrepreneurial venture that made use of public speaking and Drama to address socio-legal issues like corruption and gender based discrimination. He has organised youth conferences on the importance of active citizenship and was invited to the Cameroonian National Radio Television to speak to the youth perspective on social issues. As an aspiring ethical leader and public-spirited advocate, he intends to use the knowledge and training, which he will receive from UCT to engage in moral activism and contribute to the development of the legal system of Cameroon.

Tinayeishe Elohim Nota is an undergraduate scholar pursuing a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. He has a keen interest in science and how it can be used to produce the next generation of drugs and devices to treat, cure and prevent diseases. Tinayeishe is of the firm opinion that humans are inherently good. He believes that if people were to connect on both a community level and global level, the world would become a better place. He finds debates on key societal issues enjoyable. He believes debating opens doors to multiple views and frameworks of thought for everyone.

Samson Idabu is an undergraduate scholar pursuing a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering. He is optimistic and self-motivated young Tanzanian, who is dedicated to serving his community. He previously volunteered at Mobisol, a German-based company in Tanzania that provides solar power systems to households and institutions. Currently, he is on a mission to improve clean energy access in his communities. He wants to foster a team of experts who share the common goal and mindset to spearhead and advance the use of affordable renewable energy resources in his country. He aims to equip youths with the necessary critical workforce skills that will inspire their passion for clean energy fields. That will increase the foundational skills of the diverse youth and contribute to improving people’s lives and the environment.

Amandla Mvimbi is an undergraduate scholar pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Mechatronics Engineering. Amandla held the responsibility role of school prefect which entailed to aid in the running of Machabeng College by providing his time to perform particular duties on a daily basis. Apart from that, Amandla volunteered his services at St Bernadette Centre for the visually impaired where he did laundry work manually, worked on vegetable gardens to provide fresh produce for the centre and raised funds to purchase some basics needed for the centre. He also volunteered his services at KickforLife where he tutored disadvantaged children Maths and Science. Amandla received awards for excellence for his Primary Education, Junior Certificate (JC) and LGCSE (GCSE O-Level Equivalent) and ultimately the Machabeng College International baccalaureate Diploma valedictorian award. He further obtained the first price for SADC Development Studies Essay on the topic of Beneficiation. Also, he received the LSMTA regional science first price and The SAASTA Olympiad award. Amandla aspires and hopes to be a professional engineer who will actively participates in remedying contemporary issues that plague the African continent. Issues such as, inadequate transport system, poor power and water supply in which African countries don’t benefit from their resources which are exported in their raw state etc.

Jonathan Elingao is an undergraduate scholar pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering. He is an experienced, self-motivated young person with a demonstrated history of working in HAKIELIMU, a non-governmental organization in his home country of Tanzania. With HAKIELIMU, Jonathan was involved in campaigns to raise awareness about empowering young girls and educating young children on patriarchal societies which are system of daily life. Jonnathan has also established a small startup called Youth Agritech Program, which focuses on improving the production of more harvest, based on the usage of irrigation schemes and relying less on seasonal rainfall in the northern, Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania. Jonathan holds various prestigious awards of recognition due to his impact on the society through his many contributions to education changes in his regional community. As a chemical engineering student, Jonathan is interested on the energy industry and aims to improve the energy sector in his country through adopting clean energy and using renewables energy for the purpose of environmental conservation.

Tania Nemusese is an undergraduate scholar pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Mechatronics. Tania is a driven and ambitious young woman who is also a strong advocate for women in engineering. She has taken interest in developing young children especially after spending a year living and teaching at a primary school in Zimbabwe. Tania aspires to be part of a growing community that is bridging the gap between medicine and engineering through her intellectual interest in artificial organs and prosthetics. Tania holds awards for the Best O Level results in the Northern District of Harare (2015) and has a fond interest in the world of science. Furthermore, Tania enjoys playing field hockey and her sporting prowess has left a few records at her high school in Triple Jump where she also made the Provincial athletics team for 3 years in a row.

Nozithelo Falala is an undergraduate scholar pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Economics and Finance. She is a diligent young woman with a demonstrated history of community engagement. She is skilled in programme coordinating through working with various organisations, including the Sarah Fox Children’s Convalescence Hospital and Inkanyezi at UCT. Nozithelo holds various prestigious awards of recognition from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, Allan Gray Foundation and Students for a Better Future. She is also passionate about languages, world politics and international development.

Dean Makoni is an undergraduate scholar pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Born and raised in Nyanga, a small town in Zimbabwe, Dean is a humble and ambitious young man who strongly believes in hard work and faith. Dean worked as an intern for Education Matters Zimbabwe. A non-profit organisation that assists high achieving but low-income students in Zimbabwe. He is driven by the pursuit of better things for his community and country at large.

Reginald Jephias Zhou is an undergraduate scholar pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. An ardent believer in the need for transformation; he has a wealth of experience in community building initiatives. He attended Pakame High School in Shurugwi where he was Secretary of Boys Christian Union (B.C.U). Reginald participated in the Union’s fundraising activities, social campaigns and enhancement of its philanthropic activities in the neighbouring community. He was also active in the formation of The Creatives Bloc, a youth led Organization in Gwanda Zimbabwe, that focuses on philanthropy and mentorship of both Primary and High school students. Reginald dreams of a better Zimbabwe in prioritising the attainment of the SDGs (United nations Sustainable Development Goals). Particularly SDG 9 which aims to, “Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”. By becoming a Civil Engineer, he believes he would be empowered and better positioned to play his part in making the fortune of Zimbabwe, Africa and the world a possibility.

Mangoale Morris is an undergraduate scholar doing his first year in medicine. He is a very confident and ambitious person. He has the qualities of a great leader and loves engaging in voluntary activities. He is a member of the SHAWCO Health organization at UCT. His desire to help others encouraged him to pursue a degree in the health sciences faculty. Morris likes to take risks and is never afraid of facing new challenges. His priority is to improve the social and economic well-being of his country on completion of his studies.

Law Mugadhuyi is an undergraduate scholar who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in social work. He completed his O levels in 2015 and then his A levels in 2017. He has attained impressive academic achievements and Acted as a vice Head-boy and President of Rotary Club during his high school years. He has a burning desire of keep moulding his skills as a hope of serving a great deal in the communal and national upliftment of his country Zimbabwe. With experience in student leadership, he has demonstrated commitment and skill in fund-raising and community engagement. He hopes that after he graduates he will go back home as a social worker, fully equipped with knowledge of developing his community.

Lesiba Sakeng is an undergraduate scholar pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Economics and Management. Through his studies in construction sciences, Lesiba aspires to contribute to African infrastructure and development. He believes that the only way social and economic equality can be obtained is through equal access to infrastructure and services. He is part of the UCT Global Citizenship Programme, where he is involved in community service, and conversations on social and economic justice. He is also part of the Green Campus Initiative at UCT, where he is involved in projects contributing to the sustainability of our natural resources. Before University, Lesiba was Deputy-head boy and chairperson of school’s Academic council, where he also served on the School Governing Body. He is an activist for the protection of Afrikaans as academic and social language; and has received awards for Afrikaans public speaking at national level.

Anesu Gavhera is an undergraduate scholar pursuing electrical and computer engineering. He is a passionate computer programmer fluent in three programming languages. He aspires to be a software engineer. Outside of the classroom, Anesu is an avid tennis player who previously represented the junior national teams of his home country, Zimbabwe.

Lawson Kuuyangepi is an undergraduate scholar pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering of which he is a class representative. He is a self-motivated young student, who is passionate about improving and leading African economic growth and is keen on becoming an entrepreneur himself. He has volunteered for training in the hospitality industry at the Victoria Falls Hotel and later received more work experience as a waiter at The Three Monkey’s and Zambezi house restaurants in Victoria Falls. Lawson has been involved in various AIDS campaigns in his community as well as volunteering to teach primary school kids at his former school. During his high school years, Lawson took part in the national Africa book of records quiz competition and also received impressive academic and honorary awards.

Grace Adhiambo Bako is an undergraduate scholar pursuing a bachelor's degree in Construction Studies. She is a self-motivated lady who is passionate about ethical leadership and mentorship. She has mentored high school students in her country, Kenya, and has served in several leadership positions in Non-Governmental organisations such as Women of Honour and Global Give Back Circle. She is Currently the lead mentor of Inkaanyezi, a club in the University of Cape Town, that aims at mentoring high school students in South Africa’s Cape Town. She also runs a small social venture in Kenya, with the name “I matter” which aims at re-uniting street children with their families and mentoring them too. She believes Africa has all it takes to grow both economically and socially and that the change starts with the small actions of love, care and concerns individuals put in initiatives.

Crispus Macharia from Nairobi, Kenya is currently a postgraduate scholar pursuing a BSc (Hons) in property studies. Crispus holds an undergraduate qualification of B.Sc. Property studies (2018) from UCT. He is greatly inspired by development strategies in Africa. Among these is a plan to create an African version of Silicon Valley, known as Silicon Savannah. Crispus launched Mentor Young Africa in 2018, an initiative to mentor high school learners focusing on career choice across Africa. He is currently working on an investment educational site Invest in Kenya (www.investinginkenya.com) to equip the youth with savings, investing and sharing culture. Crispus is an active member of the UCT’s Habitat for Humanity, Green Campus Initiative (GCI) and Golden Future Opportunity. All of which share a common goal to give back to the society through integrated programs. In addition, his entrepreneurship pursuit saw him take part in the UCT Careers Flux entrepreneurship business game in 2017. He wants to return to Kenya and advocate for policies that will help eradicate social and economic challenges. This includes developing affordable housing to improve the living standards of the low-middle class who cannot afford decent housing.

Nqabisa Fakuis a postgraduate scholar pursuing an honour’s degree in Psychology. Nqabisa has a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree majoring in Politics and Governance, Psychology and Chinese obtained from UCT. She was awarded the degree with distinction in Psychology. She was invited to join the Golden Key International Honours Society in recognition of her academic excellence which is evidenced by her placement in the Humanities Faculty’s Dean’s Merit list from 2016 to 2018. She holds HSK Chinese Proficiency certificates of level 2 and 3 from the Confucius Institute Headquarters in Hanban, China. She values academic excellence, servant leadership and mentorship. She has served as a student facilitator in the UCT Global Citizenship Programme (GC 2) short course on the key values of Service, Active Citizenship and Social Justice; and was awarded a UCT PLUS Bronze Award for her role-modelling leadership. One of her personal commitments to building Africa and her home country is through increasing access and awareness of mental health. She is working on a give-back research project for the Department of Health of the Western Cape, Worcester District. She, her research partner and supervisor aim to assess lay counsellors’ capacities in Worcester. The research project is about looking into the possibility of upscaling lay counsellors to mental health workers in the mental health system to meet the basic mental health needs of most South Africans.

Kefeh Collins is a post graduate scholar pursuing an honour’s degree in Information Technology. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science obtained from the University Of Buea in Cameroon. He is particularly interested in leveraging technology to makes his community self-sustained and independent. While in his country, Kefeh has been very involved in bridging the digital divide through co-founding a volunteer led NGO focused on introducing children to ICT and coding. Kefeh has also been actively involved in contributing to Open Source projects, particularly to the OPPIA foundation (which provides free, effective, interactive and self-paced online lessons to the underprivileged), contributing code, user research, lesson creation and currently is at the fore front of making those lessons accessible to his country; especially to children in crisis stricken communities.

Abotle David Rakwasa is a postgraduate scholar pursuing his honours degree in Social Policy and Management at UCT. He holds a bachelor of social science degree in Public Administration and Political Science from the University of Botswana. Rakwasa is a renowned public speaker and debater. He believes in the power of speech as a tool that can be used to attain progressive change, development and understanding of the world. His participation in debate dates back as far as high school where he was selected to represent Botswana at an international debate tournament in Doha, Qatar. Since then, he represented the country in many other debate tournaments inside and outside Africa. His fondest achievement in the game is being awarded Best Adjudicator and Best New Adjudicator at the Pan African University Debate Championships, in Accra, Ghana. David has a passion for people and believes that every life must be celebrated, appreciated and protected. He aims to one day run an organization that specifically deals with liberating underprivileged children through providing them access to quality education.

Owen Mwaura is a postgraduate scholar pursuing an Honour’s degree in Geographic Information Systems with a minor dissertation in Urban Land Use and Transport Planning. Owen holds a Bachelor’s degree with majors in Urban and Regional Planning (2016) obtained from the University of Nairobi. He is an active student member of Kenya Institute of Planners as well as Town and County Planners Association of Kenya. His involvement in these societies has helped him gain valuable knowledge in inclusive urban development. He was also part of a student-led organization, Planning Student Association (PLASA), at his former university where he was part of an initiative to make Nairobi sustainable city. Through his community service in the slums of Kibera, he had the opportunity to be a part of community-based initiatives that aimed to provide better quality education. He is one of pioneer founder of the Boresha Elimu Initiative which is a non-profit organization that aims to provide quality education for elementary school learners.

George Baffour Awuah is a postgraduate scholar pursuing a degree in economics. He is a highly motivated young man full of promise. His competences include teaching, conference coordination, group facilitation, research and administration. While working as a research fellow in Ghana, George spent much of his volunteering on youth entrepreneurship training, rural youth capacity development, rural enterprise development, rural community teaching, policy research and advocacy, and other general community development projects with grassroot, non-profit organisations such as the Rural Heights Foundation. He initiated BooktheShelves Project, for junior high school students in his hometown and Technology Enhance Teaching and Learning Project for university lecturers. His passion for community development and local level interventions stems from his first-hand experience of how a simple intervention could mean salvaging an entire family or community from impoverishment. As a budding academic, and a firm believer of the importance of research in solving seemingly intractable problems community problems, George deems it a personal mission to bridge the gap between academy and the larger society. Currently at UCT, he is involved in various volunteering projects including, Phaphama Small Enterprise Development Initiative, a student run non-profit consultancy for small businesses, and Commerce Faculty Senior Mentor Programme. George is also a member of Postgraduate Conference Committee at the School of Economics.

Chwayita Ntwasa is a postgraduate scholar at the University of Cape Town. In her undergraduate, she studied Politics and Economics (2018). She is now pursuing her Honours in Social Development (2019). In her free time, she likes to watch cricket and spend time with family and friends. In her free time she runs a children’s social club, where she plays with kids in her community and reads them Bible stories. She hopes to be part of a culture rebuilding and reimagining township life. She dreams and hopes for a township life that is filled with hope and opportunity, rather than violence, lack of opportunity and discouragement. She hopes to contribute to this by starting a school in Langa, the township in which she was raised.

Mlindane Junior Kalua Jumbo is a postgraduate scholar pursuing a BSc (Honours) in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) at the University of Cape Town. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Education degree from Mzuzu University. Mlindane boasts over seven years of expertise in teaching and managing community projects. His passion for GIS has risen thanks to the challenges that NGOs and government departments continuously face when implementing community development projects. He is eager to use his expertise in community engagement, project management and GIS to facilitate the modelling of project planning and decision-making in Malawi. Mlindane hopes to interact with young people, government departments, NGOs and various partners in development, to encourage them to incorporate GIS in all stages of development projects in Malawi.

Maureen Khumo Masautha is a postgraduate scholar pursuing Honours degree in Social Policy and Management at University of Cape Town (UCT). Maureen holds a Bachelor of social work degree obtained from University of Botswana (UB). She was awarded the Lady Ruth Khama Prize for being an outstanding student graduating with Bachelor of Social Work. During her degree, Maureen was selected for an exchange under the Linnaeus Palme Program at Jönköping University in Sweden in recognition of her outstanding academic performance. Her areas of interest include social research; civil society and development; project management; community empowerment; sustainable development and philanthropy. Her education is always focused on her passion, which is working with children and families. Presently, she volunteers as a tutor with the Students’ Health and Welfare Centres Organisation (SHAWCO), a student society that runs various health and education programmes at UCT. She is also a member of Habitat for Humanity, UCT, a non-profit organisation involved in breaking the cycle of poverty in South Africa through participatory development, advocacy and awareness. Besides being an adept volunteer, Maureen is a passionate aspiring social researcher. She has co-authored an abstract and poster presentation for the ISPCAN XXII International Congress on Child Abuse and Neglect held in Prague, Czech Republic in 2018. Moreover, she has co-authored and submitted a manuscript for peer review with the Child Care in Practice Journal for publication. Maureen wants to be instrumental in resolving welfare state issues and understand child poverty from a sufferer’s perspective.

Evidence James is a Mastercard Foundation Scholar at University of Cape Town where is currently pursuing an LLM in Tax Law. He graduated LLB (cum laude) at the University of Fort Hare. At Fort Hare, he worked as a Tutor for commercial law (2017) and as Facilitator in the Centre for Transdisciplinary Studies (2016 – 2018). Currently, James is the Events officer in the Postgraduate Law Student Council in the UCT Law Faculty. James is an aspiring entrepreneur who has conducted business in the informal business sector from construction to retailing with higher plans to enter the formal business sector. Currently he is the chair of Enactus UCT Corporate Relations sub-committee. He has a strong passion in national politics, technology, academics, entrepreneurship and community development. He is driven with a heart to reach and empower the uneducated, the poor and young people in a world that is continuously marginalising, excluding and exploiting them. James believes that all, regardless of social standing and unfortunates, deserve a descent livelihood.

Lenon Itai Rwizi is a postgraduate scholar from Zimbabwe, currently pursuing a Masters (LLM) in Intellectual Property Law at the University of Cape Town. Lenon holds an Honours in Philosophy from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, Italy and a Bachelor of Laws (LLBs) from the University of Fort Hare. Lenon has volunteered at the Nelson Mandela Law Clinic as an Intern. He is an experienced self-motivated man with a proven track record of leadership, hard work, dedication and selfless service in governmental organisations in Southern Africa. He has previously volunteered with several organizations including Caritas International, Mashambanzou Care Trust and other charity organization. Lenon is a devoted advocate for women affairs, orphans and people living with albinism. In 2018, he was elected International Students President at the University of Fort Hare and has been part of ethical civil leadership organizations YALI Regional Leadership Program Southern Africa and the World Youth Alliance. Through social media, Lenon has managed to run awareness campaigns aimed at protecting digital intellectual property rights including voluntary take-down applications for artists and innovators. He holds a few accolades including being awarded the second-best oralists at the Nelson Mandela Law School Moot Court Competition. He is hoping that his research interests will equip him with necessary skills required to understand how best to harness the vast potential that Africa possesses.

Chester Zikhali is a postgraduate scholar pursuing a master's degree in Development Finance at the UCT Graduate School of Business. Chester holds an honours degree in banking and investment management which he obtained at the National University of Science and Technology. In addition to being a fanatic of financial markets and economic growth, Chester aspires to bridge the nexus between academia and traditional methods of finance so as to drive economic transformation across the African continent. This passion and drive is reflected by her intellectual interests and involvement with numerous community outreach initiatives and scholar-led development programmes at UCT that work with financially excluded communities, startups, and small-medium enterprises.

Emmanuel Adonyo is currently pursuing a master’s degree in medicine with specialisation in bioinformatics research from the University of Cape Town in South Africa. He is passionate about health systems and strengthening service delivery for underprivileged populations. His research is focused on developing better pipelines for medical research and diagnostics within the field of infectious diseases. Emmanuel comes from the rural part of northern Uganda in a small village called Lwala A , Aninola, Ajok Parish where he grew up before attending Makerere University in Kampala. There he completed a BSc degree in Software Engineering under the presidents scholarships program. He also holds an honours degree in Bioinformatics from UCT, where his research thesis focused on inferences of host adaptive mutation and protein coding sequences of the HIV viral genome. Emmanuel loves community leaderships and partaking active roles in modelling the behaviours of young people in his community so that they can be active in developing their societies. He started a community transformation program called Up-Lift Agricultural program. It is aimed at helping rural mothers and school dropouts to be trained in modern agriculture, value chain addition, and all-year-production which he hopes will enable the parents to fend for their families and send their children to schools. Emmanuel’s dream is to build a social enterprise in his country which aims to improve Health, Education and Food security for the people of Uganda, especially the underprivileged rural communities. In his free time, Emmanuel loves reading, watching and visiting beautiful sceneries.

Letitia Andreas is a postgraduate scholar who is pursuing her master’s degree in Education policy, Leadership and change. Letitia has an Honours degree in Public Policy and Administration (2017) and a Bachelor’s in Organisational Psychology, and Public Policy and Administration (2016). She is passionate about social justice issues particularly within the public education spectrum. As postgraduate scholar she hopes to explore various issues of education policy discourse, as well as how social responsiveness programmes assist in empowering learners. As someone who is inspired by her own narrative and the narrative of others, Letitia also presents motivational speeches in schools around UCT. She has also been involved in other mentorship programmes work with schools and high school learners from disadvantaged backgrounds. Letitia has demonstrated excellence in administration having served as a Student Assistant at Humanities Faculty and as a Senior Clerk at UCT Postgraduate Centre and Funding Office.

Zimingonaphakade Sigenu is a postgraduate scholar pursuing an MPhil in Development Studies. She has an Honours Degree in Sociology and a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree majoring in Political Sciences and Sociology. She volunteers as a mentor in the Faculty of Humanities, Inkanyezi UCT and the Resilience Network Initiative at the University of the Western Cape. She is passionate about writing, research and social justice. As a senior research student, she is knowledgeable in both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Her work experience includes project management for the Humanities Faculty Mentorship Programme at UCT, conducting interviews and translations for Southern Hemisphere, and assisting in teaching. She also has experience as a facilitator and has conducted numerous sessions for the HIV/AIDS, Inclusivity and Change Unity (HAICU) under the Office for Inclusivity and Change, delivering workshops and facilitating critical conversations in the intersectional areas of HIV, gender, sexual and gender-based violence, sexual diversity, privilege and class.

Viola Chepkurui is a postgraduate scholar pursuing a master’s degree in Public Health. She has a BSc. degree in specialising in Nursing and Public health. With her interest in health research, Viola hopes to develop solutions for non-communicable diseases like cancer which have had grappling effects in her country. She is passionate about environmental conservation, servant leadership and youth empowerment. Viola is currently involved in community outreach, offering her health skills by volunteering in SHAWCO Health, a student led outreach organisation based at UCT.

Pardington Kapfudza is a postgraduate scholar pursuing a master’s degree in actuarial science. He recieved a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) degree in actuarial science from the National University of Science and Technology, Zimbabwe. Pardington is a hardworking, goal driven young man with work experience in Corporate Finance, Life Insurance and Pensions from various internships. Outside of school and work activities, Pardington is also a member of three different societies at UCT and aspires to be a future leader. His medium-term goal is to become a qualified actuary by the end of 2020. He envisions using his qualifications and experience to make a positive impact in his country and on the African continent, through product development and enterprise risk management in the insurance industry.

Nora Ehujuo is a postgraduate scholar pursuing a master's degree in geotechnical engineering at UCT. She holds a bachelor's degree in Geology from the Federal University of Technology Owerri, Nigeria where she graduated top of her class in Geophysics. An ardent lover of literature and research, Nora believes a sustainable world can be attained through the construction of safer civil structures (stable foundations and geosynthetics). In trying to make the world better, she is committed to participating in community service activities. She mainly offers her skills and time when volunteering through Engineering without borders and SHAWCO. In her spare time, she loves to travel, explore and learn new things.

Keagetswe Alex Kgotlaetsile is a postgraduate scholar pursuing his Master’s in Social Policy and Management. He completed his honours in Social Policy and Management at the University of Cape Town and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social work from the University of Botswana (UB). Keagetswe has gained notable leadership, volunteerism and mentorship experience throughout his undergraduate degree to present. He served as the President of the University of Botswana Social Work Society (UBSWS), a Peer Counsellor and as a Mentor at the UB. He currently volunteers for the Students' Health and Welfare Centres Organisation (SHAWCO), UCT United Nations South Africa (UNASA-UCT) and the South African Education and Environment Project (SAEP). His interests are in Social Research, Policy Analysis, International relations, Social Development, Education, Project Management and Youth Development.

Pertunia Mutheiwana is a postgraduate scholar currently pursuing her Master’s in Psychology of Education, majoring in School Leadership and Management. She holds a First-Class Honours degree specialising in Policy and Curriculum Development. In addition to this, she holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) with Mathematics and Science as majors as well as a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Microbiology and Biochemistry. Pertunia is originally from Limpopo province. She is a proud mother to an eleven-year-old girl. Her daughter motivated her to become a teacher, this is where she realised her passion for teaching and for the education field as a whole. As a result, Pertunia holds a National Gold Medal awarded by the Minister of Education for achieving First-Class in the National Oral History Competition. While completing her teaching qualification, Pertunia volunteered through UCT SHAWCO where she was part of a team of students tutoring Mathematics and Science to learners from under privileged communities. Throughout her teaching career she has initiated and participated in extra mural activities such as oral history projects, debating, public speaking, approaches to leadership and cross country. Apart from her academic and teaching experiences, Pertunia is also a talented poet, dress maker, chef, interior designer and up cycler. Her long-term goal is to use her academic, teaching and skills to open her own learning centre with the hope of developing it into a school.