Last week we inducted seven new members into the Rotary Club of Johannesburg New Dawn; this week three of them went through a kind of initiation; they had to stand up and introduce themselves in some detail. All three were inspiring speakers, not just for what they said, but for what they do. They truly enrich the Rotary experience for all of us.
The three are Tshepo Ramutumbu, Ntombikayise Maselwa and Mbali Zulu. The three bring much needed diversity, youth, flair and wheelbarrows full of enthusiasm to the club. Long may they continue to move Rotary into the new world.
First up was Tshepo Ramutumbu, a Sowetan by birth and still one. He was born in Orlando West, an area famous for Nelson and Winnie Mandela and lived across the road from Winnie Madikizela Mandela, for whom he'd often go out and buy the newspaper.
Tshepo told the club he went to a crèche in the area, followed by primary and high school (Madwaleni High, Matric class of 1994) in Soweto. He still lives in Orlando West. Of his school years he says he had the unusual experience of having a German principal and quite a number of experienced Model C teachers to guide him and his classmates and describes his as a great upbringing.
At school and afterwards he became a ballroom and Latin dance champion and says he grew up being a dancer, having to fit his dance practice in after homework in the afternoons.
He was a guide with the Standard Bank Gallery and led walk-about with school groups, amongst others for the Picasso in Africa exhibition there.
At Wits he was taught classroom management and curriculum planning and eventually started up the Umbuyiso School of the Arts which he did to help get kids, especially from 8 - 14 years old, off the streets and into doing more constructive things.
"It's been an amazing experience helping kids discover their full potential. Not all of them are academically inclined, so we can teach them to create things with their own hands to one day be able to earn a living."
Ntombikayiso Maselwa managed to fill the room even though she spoke through Zoom. She described herself as a person who prepares young leaders who can go on to change the world. Changing your mind-set, she says, changes your actions and behaviour.
"At our entrepreneurship academy we teach young people how to start and operate a business. We believe that people mustn't wait for handouts, they must be solution seekers. We teach people to start with where they are with what they have."
Ntombi is passionate about empowering young women from broken backgrounds and enabling them to overcome the barriers that prevent them from being successful.
"I love people, I'm passionate about people. I gain from people," she said.
Mbali Zulu (his name means Heavenly Flower, he said) described himself as a millennial (born in 1987) and a slasher, as in chief executive slash creative strategist slash event co-ordinator slash social entrepreneur/ marketing specialist/ creative director/ content producer and so on.
"You guys," he said pointing to us Baby Boomers, "want to be one thing: a lawyer, a doctor, an accountant and so on. We're many different things all at once. We live to work while you work to live."
Mbali described how they had helped establish The Box Shop in Vilakazi Street, a two storey mall made entirely out of shipping containers which provides space for retailers to sell their wares, hosts one of Soweto's few coffee shops and has a communal kitchen for businesses in the food industry.
He has been involved in attempts to revitalise Youth Day on 16 June each year commemorating the Soweto Uprising of 1976 and bringing true meaning into a day which has tended to become an excuse to have a party.
As in many other parts of the country and the world, Covid put a spanner in the works of many enterprises, but they're back and intent on re-establishing themselves, he said. The initial issue was access to markets, now it has become a problem of scale as businesses grow and find more clients.
Karlien Kruger, our club president for March, pointed out that the club now has 55% women and that the percentage of white members has dropped to 70% with the new intake. It is a trend that deserves to continue.
With regards to the rapid growth of the club, she spoke about the four phases of Forming, storming, norming and performing. New Dawn is in the storming phase, but of course needs to be performing as soon and as well as possible.
Next week: There's a board meeting on Monday, so Wednesday will be a board feedback meeting, although there will be more introductions by new members Paul Chinn and Ivone Vosloo. Prepare to be inspired!
A Thought for the Week: People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do. - Isaac Asimov (1920 - 1992)
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