Nelson Mandela once said, “It always seems impossible until it is done”.

Education is a powerful tool that can be used to change the World. Ndithi Nqhanga nentsiba zayo, on behalf of the Student Representative Council it is my honour and privilege to welcome you to this monumental institution of 120 years of excellence, Rhodes University. You have made it, you have taken the great leap of courage and enrolled in one of the best research universities in the continent and for that, you should be deeply proud of yourselves.

My name is Simphiwe Simthembile Inako Mnyande, ndingu Mqwathi, uVazi, uNoni, and I hail from the banks of the Mbashe River from a small town of eNcgobo in the Transkei. I am a third-year student currently studying towards a Bachelor of Social Sciences and like you, I was recently a first-year student where I decided to leave the land of my ancestors and go out in search of the great key to success, and I found myself starting my academic journey here at Rhodes and today I am a president and a resilient student because of the leadership, ethics and skills that this institution affords its students.

The easiest journeys are often the ones that are not worthy of being walked, so to be honest with you this Journey is not easy, but it is worthy of being explored and the Student Representative Council is here to walk that journey with you. The Student Representative Council is made up of 16 Councillors who are here to ensure that we aid you in every aspect of your student life and ensuring that your concerns are addressed, your voices are amplified and to provide sustainable solutions to the issues that may arise. There are 8000+ students at Rhodes University and these are the leaders who are of significant vitality to the SRC because as elected leaders we preciously know that “Inokhokeli yiNkokeli ngabantu bayo”.

Always remember why you chose to be here today, and never let the burdens and harshness of this world hinder you from achieving your goal, which is being an educated resilient being who will go out in the world and provide solutions to the problems that plague this world. To those who will be the first to graduate in your families, you are powerful and resilient, and you are the pillar of your community, uyintsika lekhaya lakho and hearty congratulations to you. To all students who join our family from our brother and sister states all over the globe, I echo the words of the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, “Africa is the cradle of humanity”, and so we welcome you home.

The mandate of my team and I is to ensure that the rights of all students are well preserved, ensuring a vibrant, safe, inclusive, and diverse community that embraces all students regardless of their race, religion, culture, ethnic group, or sexuality. It is paramount that we ensure such a safe learning environment because this is a home away from home, this is where you will meet lifelong friends, business partners, and your better half. This is the home that teaches you to be responsible leaders in every aspect of your life, so in pursuit of getting your degree, please do have fun, be responsible, and never neglect your academics.

Today marks a new page in your life, a journey that you alone can determine because the most powerful tool in life that you possess is that no one can be you, on this page may you write your own story, your own experience, be fierce, be unapologetic in the pursuit of reaching your dreams, don’t take no as an answer, question the no’s but do so with respect.

Congratulations, Huntshu, ndithi nangamso mazi enethole!

Ndiyabulela.

Simphiwe Mnyande

SRC President 2024

Last Modified: Thu, 07 Dec 2023 15:04:44 SAST