Mukovhe Morris Masutha Interview
Many people know you through the show one day leader. Surely that’s very limited time where people can tell or judge you based on. How would you describe yourself?
My name is Mukovhe Morris Masutha. I’m from Venda, Limpopo. 24 years old. I’m a pan-Africanist educational activist and strong advocate for the provision of free quality education for all academically deserving but financially needy young South African.
When your passion for social uplifting did it start and what was the reason behind that?
My passion for community development can be traced to my days in the South African Students Congress at Wits University in 2007. At the time we were fighting against the privatization of university residences and further commoditization of higher education at Wits University. I was mentored by the likes of Advocate Musa Mtembu, Duimpie Dube, Sicelo Musi, Themba Masondo etc
During my term of office as Wits University’s 2010/11 SRC President I co-founded Thusanani Foundation with a friend of mine, Ntandokabawo James and our main aim was to bridge the educational information gap between rural high school learners and their urban counterparts in order to create an equal opportunity for all to access institutions of higher learning and to fight the high drop-out rate of poor students in institutions of higher learning.
How important is education to you?
Education is everything to me. In my village, only people who went to school and fought hard enough to excel managed to create a better life for themselves. Growing up in Mapate I knew that I had to do exceptionally well at school for me to find myself at University. So I applied for 56 bursaries and got one that my mom pulled out of the Sowetan Newspaper and that’s when my life changed completely. I had never gone passed Polokwane until I was 17 years old on my way to Wits University. I applied to Wits without knowing which side Wits was or how it even looked like.
However, after joining the South African Students Congress and later elected chairperson, I realized the significance of education beyond an individual but from a societal perspective. I began to think of ways in which I can use the power of Information to get more people like myself out of the village so that they can realize their dreams as well.
Now let’s talk about you career, when did you start it?
My Career can be traced to my Aunt Pascaline and my Uncle Thomas Tshikalange. These two people literally took from a village boy herding cattle to an SRC President of Wits University and later a Masters Candidate. In 2010 I got my Barchelors Degree in Economic Geography with Distinctions, 2011 I completed my BSc Honours in Development Planning and Environmental Management and I am currently completing my MSc in Local Economic Development with the University of Johannesburg. The best day of my life was when I got Scholarship to do my PHD in Georgia State University (Atlanta) in September this year. My Uncle is particularly responsible for the man I am today, he is very loving but he is also a very strict and no nonsense Uncle.
How was your life before one day leader show?
My life before one day leader was just as busy but it got even busier during the show. Ntando and I have been meeting potential funders so that we can get Thusanani Foundation’s programme off the ground because March has always been the beginning of our Months of Implementation. However, I soon realized that One Day leader provides a priceless and strategic platform for young people like myself to begin offering practical solutions to socio-economic challenges facing our country.
You might no longer be on the show but to the hearts and minds of many people you will always be their best thoughtful leader?
You know, people in my village struggle to buy TVs let alone be on TV. I was already overwhelmed by just the idea of being on National Television articulating my stance and radically as possible. I was even more overwhelmed when I got the most number of Votes from the Public. The idea of a complete stranger using their money to vote for me based on what I have just said in 30 seconds was unreal to me. I am sad I had to leave but my new job is very demanding and involves a lot of travelling and as a result it became impossible for me to juggle both.
Do you think currently has a leadership crisis?
I don’t think we have a leadership crisis at all. I think our biggest problem is that we have too many political analysts and very few activists. I am a solution-oriented-Implementist and I have absolutely no interest in people who have made unconstructive critical analysis of government their career. Whenever I see a gap in development, I don’t think about whose fault it is, I think of a potential solution and practical ways of implementing that solution.
What is your assessment of the current leadership styles that we have in South Africa? (This doesn’t have to be politics)
I think there is a need for a paradigm shift from the old-fashion top-down approach to a community based bottom up approach to community and human development.
What has changed after you’ve been part of one day leader?
Lol, firstly I have gained a lot of friends on Facebook. But on a serious note, I believe that One Day leader provided me with a priceless platform to showcase Thusanani Foundation as youth-led Non-Profit Organisation to look out for. The mandate from Thusanani was that go out there and represent our proposed solutions to South Africa’s Socio-Economic predicament and I think I carried out that mandate.
If you were to predict the future of South African youth. Which direction do you think we are heading to as the youth?
At the moment the future of young people is not looking very good. Our Youth seem to be very relaxed and I think there is a need for an attitudinal change in how the youth of this country carry themselves. I think there is a need to strengthen and capacitate FET colleges in order to generate the necessary skills needed by industry in order to increase the employability of young people. In addition to this government needs to create and maintain a pipeline that will manage the flow of Skills from the FET sector to Small Enterprise Development initiatives such as SEDA (Small Enterprise Development Agency) in order to trigger and promote and entrepreneurial culture similar to that of China , India and Brazil.
What are some of your primary principles that have helped you to be where you are today?
- Not all blacks are progressive and not all whites are backward
- Respect and Multilingualism is your one way ticket to success
- If you work hard enough, your Marks will pay your fees
- Do your best and God will do the rest
What’s the highlight of your arts career?
The Establishment of Thusanani Foundation has been the biggest highlight of my career. Community upliftment through Thusanani Foundation is an opportunity to honour my moral obligation to the Rural ‑areas of South Africa, where I was made from nothing to something.
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my Success to the fear and love for God, my aunt and my uncle, the South African Students Congress (GOD), Wits University and selflessness.
Growing up who was your role model- if there was any?
Chris Hani
What was special about him or her?
He coupled words with action.
I know there are other projects that you are involved in, do you mind telling me about them and why did you decided to be part of those projects?
I am the Co-founder and Executive Director of Thusanani Foundation. Our broader objective is to bridge the educational information gap that exist between rural/township high school learners and their counterparts in order to provide each learner with an equal opportunity to access institutions of higher education and to reduce the high dropout rates of poor students in institutions of higher learning. We further intend to address the prevalence of food insecurity and HIV/AIDS in institutions of higher learning.
What are your future plans?
I intend to grow Thusanani foundation into a Student-Cantered Research organisation that investigate and come with solutions to challenges facing our education system
What’s your message for those young people with entitlement mentality- who are claiming to have right for everything but no responsibility
My message to the youth of South Africa is that don’t ever think that your background will determine your destiny. I understand that some of us are brought up in families whereby it’s almost impossible to even dream about being successful, but remember that the word success is very subjective. And remember, if you work hard enough, your marks will pay your fees!
