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A WSU convocation executive member and former SRC Mthatha campus president has underlined greed, arrogance and selfishness as the main threats to the complete and utter demise of the Ubuntu-centred leadership principles of “Batho Pele”.
With less than a week before his trip to China to participate in a two-week youth development and leadership programme, Melikhaya Mcitwa (29), who hails from the deep rural location of Rainy in Libode, has lodged the contentious claim in an effort to raise awareness to the crisis of moral leadership in the country.
“This country needs young people who’re not self-orientated when they assume leadership positions. Being elected into leadership means that you deploy the Batho Pele principles of compassion, empathy and selflessness in order to lead people to a more prosperous existence,” he said.
Mcitwa, a 2015 WSU criminology Honours Degree graduate and current treasurer-general of the Convocation Executive, was selected by the Beijing International Chinese College as part of a cohort of 35 young leaders from the country’s different universities set to participate in a programme sponsored by the Confucius Institute aimed at strengthening and sharpening the youths’ leadership skills.
His exploits in leadership, especially as a student, have seen Mcitwa occupy a number of positions, including SASCO political commissar in 2011; SASCO Deputy Chairperson in 2012; SASCO Branch Secretary in 2013; president of the School of Social Sciences in 2014; Secretary-General of the SRC Exco and WSU council member by virtue of being SRC president in 2015.
“In 2017, I participated in the 5th Africa-Europe Youth Summit in the Ivory Coast wherein I represented my country and university. It was at that particular summit where I got notoriety for presenting a white paper on education and skills – a publication that was well received,” said Mcitwa.
At the conclusion of the summit, Mcitwa said he will use all knowledge and information gathered to invest in concerted efforts to redefine and reimagine WSU – bring back its dignity through resource mobilization and thus impact of the institution’s academic integrity, as well as to employ strategies aimed at fostering relations and creating social cohesion through mitigating of political intolerance amongst students.
By: Thando Cezula
