Broken Links and Betrayed Trust: Youth Leaders Demand a Reckoning on Africa's Future at Rhodes University SRC Leadership Week

By: Olwethu Ncapayi

Across the African continent, conversations about sustainable development often centre on economic policy, foreign investment, and infrastructure. Yet, one critical factor remains insufficiently addressed: leadership and governance. While the continent holds vast human and natural resources, many countries face persistent poverty, political instability, and weak institutions. This raises a pressing question: is the absence of accountable leadership and ethical governance the missing link in Africa’s pursuit of sustainable progress? Unpacking this question requires a closer look at how decision-making, public trust, and institutional integrity shape the continent’s development path.

Rhodes University officially launched Leadership Week on the evening of Monday, 4 August, with a powerful and thought-provoking panel discussion held at Eden Grove Red from 18h00 to 21h00. The event, hosted by the Student Representative Council, brought together a diverse panel of speakers to engage students on leadership and good governance in Africa.

Themed “Is Leadership and Good Governance the Missing Link in Africa’s Quest for Sustainable Development?”, the event aimed to amplify youth voices, inspire critical thinking, and interrogate how effective leadership can shape a more sustainable and inclusive future for the continent. The event was facilitated by Tsidzo Hove, who guided the conversations with professionalism and poise, ensuring each panellist's voice was heard and the audience remained engaged. The panel featured four dynamic speakers from diverse backgrounds, offering different yet intersecting perspectives on leadership and good governance:

• Amahle Jaxa, an accomplished South African youth leader, entrepreneur and social media personality, known for her engaging content on current affairs and pop culture
• Bongani Michael Baloyi, a South African politician who made history in 2013 when he became Executive Mayor of the Midvaal Local Municipality at just 26 years old – the youngest mayor in South Africa at the time
• Dr Pedro Mzileni, a lecturer, writer, and intellectual who focuses on the intersection of politics, race, and postcolonial African society
• Advocate Dali Mpofu, a renowned South African advocate and political figure, served as the keynote speaker.

What made the event particularly engaging was the diversity of the panel. The speakers represented different political ideologies, generational experiences, and sectors – highlighting that leadership is not a one-size-fits-all concept. However, through good governance, ethical leadership, taking a stand, and accountability, these varied approaches can be unified to address Africa’s developmental challenges. Amahle Jaxa opened the panel with an emotionally charged and socially conscious perspective rooted in her experiences as a youth leader. Her arrival was welcomed with the liberation song “Igama Lamakhosikazi Malibongwe” – meaning “Let the name of women be praised”.

Deeply embedded in South African history, the song was not just ceremonial. It echoed a call for women’s visibility in leadership, a reminder of the resilience of women in the liberation movement, and a powerful reinforcement that women must not just be present in leadership spaces but also heard, respected, and empowered. Jaxa questioned whether “sustainable development” was more a buzzword than a practice. She emphasised that true leadership and sustainable development must address economic growth, social inclusion, and environmental responsibility – with a focus on ensuring that no one gets left behind. She passionately criticised leadership that is detached from the people. "Leadership and governance should align with the needs of the people," she said. These needs include access to affordable housing, quality infrastructure, electricity, healthcare, education, and employment opportunities.

In Jaxa’s view, the link between leadership and development is not just missing — it’s broken. Leadership has become about status, titles, and money, instead of service, empathy, and people. She reminded the audience that true leadership is about accountability, not just being held accountable — but holding oneself accountable. Jaxa denounced the corruption in municipalities that collapse while their budgets increase and stressed that leaders must stop using social media to posture and start building practical, community-based initiatives. “Development without action is just decoration,” she said. “Talk less, collaborate more — and meet people at the level of their needs.”

Bongani Baloyi, on the other hand, brought a more practical and Pan-Africanist approach to the conversation. He challenged the continent’s overreliance on Western ideologies, arguing that Africa must redefine leadership in its terms. “We cannot borrow foreign frameworks and expect them to work in our context,” he said. “Our governance must reflect our history, our culture, our land.” Baloyi boldly questioned: “Who owns the land?” and “Whose system are we using to measure good governance?” He called for true African control over African systems, not mere participation. Inclusion, he emphasised, is not enough — ownership and power matter. He also drew a direct line between public service and sustainable development, stating that the quality of public representatives is key. “If the worst among us lead while the best are sidelined, we will never develop,” he warned. Baloyi urged young people to participate in politics, challenge power structures, and stop romanticising mediocrity. “Sustainability is about systems that outlive us. It begins with governance that works,” he said.

Dr Pedro Mzileni, a lecturer, writer, and former SRC Treasurer General, brought a historically grounded and revolutionary lens to the panel. His talk focused on the ongoing legacy of colonial systems in post-apartheid South Africa. “Colonialism didn’t end in 1994,” he said. “It became policy, it became systems, and it still shapes who gets to lead and who gets left behind.” For Mzileni, dismantling these systemic forms of oppression, from racism and patriarchy to elitism, is the first step toward real, sustainable development. He passionately argued that education must go beyond memorising facts and chasing degrees. “Knowledge must lead to action,” he told students. “You cannot challenge power unless you are conscious of who you are.” Mzileni called on young people to reject validation from colonial frameworks and advocate for African solutions to African problems. He emphasised that students and youth have historically played a crucial role in holding power to account — and they still can.

Advocate Dali Mpofu did not hold back while delivering the keynote address. Mpofu described the absence of good governance as corruption, fraud, and a betrayal of public trust. He emphasised that real leadership is about improvement, about leaving a system, a community, or a country better than you found it. He criticised Africa’s inherited governance systems, arguing that they were never designed to serve Africans. Instead, they foster disunity, elitism, and underdevelopment. For Africa to rise, he said, leaders must abandon self-interest and political partisanship and focus on unity, service, and transformation. “Leadership is not about being a puppet,” Mpofu declared. “You must be ready to challenge the system, even die for truth and justice.” He envisioned Africa as a potential global superpower united by shared values and goals, rather than divided by political factions. According to Mpofu, sustainable development is only possible when leaders prioritise community, ethics, and vision over personal gain.

The launch of Leadership Week at Rhodes University was far more than an academic gathering — it was a call to consciousness. From Amahle Jaxa’s call for people-centred development, to Bongani Baloyi’s Pan-African political realism, Dr Pedro Mzileni’s demand for systemic change, and Advocate Dali Mpofu’s constitutional urgency — the evening made one thing clear: Africa’s future lies not in imported models, but in courageous, ethical, and community-driven leadership.