News

Lynette Chen, ALI SA Executive Director Across the world, elections and youth-led civic movements are placing trust, inclusion and accountability at the centre of public life. Young people are challenging corruption, economic exclusion and unresponsive institutions, reminding us that participation extends beyond the ballot box. South Africa faces its own important test on 4 November 2026, wh...

When introducing the dialogue, Dr Mzamo Masito did not begin with policy, statistics or ideology. He began with family. He spoke about two brothers whose lives took very different paths. One battled profound struggles before taking his own life. The other was remembered for kindness, generosity and an instinct to care for those around him. He also spoke about growing up without his biological f...

Once a year, ALI Fellows from across nearly two decades of classes return to De Hoek Country Hotel in the Magaliesberg for the ALI SA Good Society Seminar, now in its third consecutive year. From the inaugural class to recent cohorts like Class XIII: Akani and Class XIV: Pamoja, the GSS brings together Fellows spanning generations, all carrying that familiar and fiercely defended conviction tha...

What does a parliament built for a new generation look like? On Monday, 15 June 2026, the State of the Youth Address (SOYA) explored that question at the Homecoming Centre in District Six, Cape Town. The parliamentary-style event featured fourteen reimagined ministries, from the Ministries of menstruation and digital safety to imagination, mental health and employment, where young leaders set o...

On Tuesday, 30 June 2026, marches across South African towns and cities demanded that fellow Africans deemed “illegal” leave the country. For Dele Olojede (Class II: Kilimanjaro), the moment speaks not only to the country’s current political and economic failures, but to a painful rupture in the relationship between South Africa and the rest of the continent. Writing from the perspective ...

What does freedom mean for a young person who is politically free but economically stuck? In an article for the Sowetan, ALI SA Fellow Dr Steven Zwane (Class XVI: Umsimbithi) argues that entrepreneurship education is one of the most important missing pieces in South Africa’s response to youth unemployment. More than a pathway to business ownership, he presents it as a way to build agency, helpi...

Dean Villet, (Class XII: Isilimela), Country Director of the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, South Africa Getting into university is only one part of the journey. For many first-generation students, completing a degree and moving into meaningful employment also requires financial stability, academic guidance, wellbeing support and access to professional networks. How sustained support helps ...

Every once in a while, you see a moment in education that reminds you why words matter. In the video below, the KZN Department of Education celebrates South Africa’s African Spelling Bee champions and acknowledges the leadership of ALI SA Fellow, Roger Dickinson (Class II Kilimanjaro), CEO of the South African Spelling Bee and founder of the African Spelling Bee. The clip highlights how schools...

Bushra Razack, Class XVI: Umsimbithi Written by Bushra Razack (Class XVI: Umsimbithi) The Vital Voices Global Leadership Summit and Global Leadership Awards in New York this April brought together an extraordinary community of women leaders from across the world, creating a powerful space for reflection, connection, and renewed purpose. Hosted by Vital Voices in partnership with Estée Lauder, ...

What becomes possible when where you live no longer determines the quality of internet you can access? For ALI SA Fellow Van Zyl Botha (Class XIII: Akani), CEO of Herotel, that question is taking practical shape in Jouberton, Kanana and Siyabuswa, where fibre connectivity did not previously exist. The significance reaches beyond faster internet. Schools can gain access to video-based education, c...

ALI SA Fellow Gilbert Pooley believes the kind of experiential, coached learning that shaped his own leadership journey should not be reserved for a fortunate few. Through Tacit, he is exploring how technology can help make practice, feedback and support available at a far greater scale. What Changes People? It is a question Gilbert Pooley (Class XII: Isilimela) has spent much of his career tryin...

A LEGACY OF IMPACT: HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2026 ALUMNI CELEBRATION On Saturday, 11 April 2026, the TEACH South Africa family gathered at the PPS premises for the 2026 Alumni Celebration. The event marked 18 years of impact, reconnection, reflection and the official launch of a renewed alumni movement. Founded as the brainchild of Drs Mothomang Diaho and Futhi Mtoba, both ALI SA Fellows from Class ...

When Crime Moves Faster Than Systems “If criminals are innovative, entrepreneurial, networked, coordinated and collaborating, why aren’t we?” For ALI SA Fellow Kim Robinson (Class VI: Tshelela), speaking in a Channel Africa interview on African Diaries, this question is more than a challenge. It is the starting point for her impact venture, the Pan Africa Justice Initiative (PAJI), which is...

For ALI SA Fellow Kayum Ahmed (Class VII: Dinatla), Rhodes Must Fall was never simply a student protest. It was a movement that challenged deeply held assumptions about liberation, education and power, forcing institutions and individuals alike to confront questions that could no longer be ignored. Those questions form the foundation of Theorizing Fallism: The Movement to Decolonize the Universit...

When institutions intervene to protect vulnerable people, does their responsibility end when the immediate crisis is resolved? In a thought-provoking Daily Maverick opinion piece, ALI SA Fellow Dr Brenda Kubheka-Chauke (Class XIII: Akani) examines a difficult question at the intersection of healthcare, ethics and children’s rights. Using a recent public debate about life-saving medical trea...

As South Africa marks 50 years since the 1976 Soweto Uprising, ALI SA Fellow Dr Steven Zwane (Class XVI: Umsimbithi) writes that June 16 cannot remain only a day of wreaths, speeches and remembrance. In his Sowetan column, Steven reflects on the courage of the students who confronted apartheid’s education system and connects that history to the pressures facing young South Africans today, inclu...

Public accountability is not only about rules. It is about whether institutions have the courage to stand behind the systems they create. In a recent Daily Maverick opinion piece, ALI SA Fellow Prof Busani Ngcaweni, Class X: XSeed, examines National Treasury’s criticism of an audit regime shaped by its own regulations. His argument raises a deeper leadership question: what happens when the rule...

ALI SA Fellow Thomas Brennan (Class XVI: Umsimbithi), CEO and Co-founder of Franc, has shared Franc’s inaugural Wealth Index Report, a data-backed look at financial wellbeing in South Africa. Drawing on almost 4,000 responses, the report sets South Africa’s national Wealth Score at 45 out of 100 and shows that behaviour is a stronger predictor of financial wellbeing than income, age or educat...

South African Tourism’s announcement of ALI SA Fellow, Ismail Dockrat (Class III: Seriti) as Chief Operating Officer from 1 May 2026 is a proud moment for both the organisation and the Laudium community he calls home. It signals a strengthening of South Africa’s tourism leadership at a time when the sector is sharpening its global ambitions and repositioning the country as a competitive, worl...

For ALI SA Fellow Olebogeng “Lebo” Thubisi, Class XVI: Umsimbithi, leadership is not defined by title alone. His appointment as CEO of Abax Investments marks an important new chapter, but he sees the role less as a personal milestone and more as an opportunity to build, strengthen and serve. “Stepping into the CEO role is both a privilege and a responsibility,” he reflects. “For me, it ...

ALI SA Fellow, Sindi Mabaso-Koyana’s (Class VIII: Mahube) appointment as chair of the MTN South Africa board marks a significant milestone for the ALI SA community and a powerful affirmation of values-based leadership in action. Taking up this role at one of Africa’s leading telecoms companies, she will help steer a business that sits at the heart of digital and financial inclusion on the con...

Leadership rarely allows time to pause. The Good Society Seminar is one of the few moments in the year where ALI SA Fellows step back from the pressure of daily leadership and return to the seminar table. From 15–17 May 2026, Fellows will gather at De Hoek Country Hotel in Magaliesburg for a weekend of thoughtful dialogue, reflection and connection across the fellowship. It is also an opportun...

ALI SA Executive Director and Fellow, Lynette Chen As we head into the new year of the Fire Horse, I can’t help but feel that we have entered into a world ablaze with fury and fire. Wars are redrawing borders, families are being displaced at staggering rates and a pervasive sense of fragility hangs over the global community. Each day’s news cycle reminds us not only of how volatile our...

When a nation’s lies harden into “glue”, leadership faces a particular kind of test. In this provocative reflection, ALI SA Fellow Prof Busani Ngcaweni (Class X: Xseed) traces how deception in South Africa has shifted from isolated untruths to a structural feature of our politics and public life. He argues that power “lies for a living”, that myths of progress, permanence and exception...

As CEO of the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) and an ALI SA Fellow (Class XII: Isilimela), Dr Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela has announced SAHPRA’s approval of Lenacapavir, a six-monthly pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) injection to help prevent HIV infection in adults and adolescents at high risk. Describing the registration as a “game-changer” in a country with on...

ALI SA Fellows at SWEAT Africa 2026 Left to Right: Futhi Mtoba Class II: Kilimanjaro), Joshin Raghubar (Class IV: Kalipha), Prof Tulio de Oliveira (Class XV: Khawuleza), Andi Kawa (Class VIII: Mahube)   “How do we help more young Africans build, not just dream?” That question helped launch SWEAT Africa, which grew from an early conversation into a two-day accelerator in Stellenbosch on 1...

Some of South Africa’s most impactful education reform over the past decade was ignited by a unique collaboration between ALI SA Fellows. Three leaders, united by a shared commitment to evidence, accountability and impact, triggered a change that is reshaping the future for South African learners. The Data Driven Districts (DDD) programme was established in 2012 through a public-private partner...

Award-winning journalist and ALI SA Class VI: Tshelela Fellow, Moipone Malefane, is showing how leading with strong values in media can help others get opportunities. Through Vutivi Business News, the digital platform she founded in 2020, Moipone is giving South Africa’s small businesses a stronger voice while creating opportunities for emerging business journalists to gain practical experience...

ALI SA celebrates Class II: Kilimanjaro Fellow Roger Dickinson, CEO of the National Spelling Bee, who has helped turn a simple competition into a meaningful platform for literacy, confidence and connecting young learners. Through A Better Africa Foundation and its partnerships with the Department of Basic Education and civil society, the National Spelling Bee now reaches children across all 12 of...

ALI SA moderator and Class XII: Isilimela Fellow, Sharmi Surianarain recently invited us to reflect on moderation as an act of love in a world overflowing with opinions and crowded conversations. Drawing on her lifelong relationship with books and language, Sharmi explores what it means to “hold space” in difficult dialogues—particularly those around race and justice. She reminds us that re...

Two ALI SA Fellows, Justice Malala (ClassII: Kilimnjaro) and Mondli Makhanya (Class III: Seriti), have just released a timely podcast on SONA 2026 and the 2026 Budget Speech. In a context of slow growth, fiscal strain and rising public frustration, they unpack what SONA revealed about South Africa’s priorities – from economic reform and infrastructure to crime, water and state capacity – an...

Photo Credit Business Unity SA We’re proud to celebrate Khulekani Mathe, CEO of Business Unity South Africa and ALI SA Fellow from Class IX: Tariro, on being named African Leadership Magazine’s Person of the Year 2026 in Accra, Ghana. This honour recognises his leadership in strengthening business–government engagement and advancing evidence-based economic reform in South Africa...

As part of the 2026 Globalisation Cycle, candidate fellows from the Class XV Khawuleza cohort participated in seminars held in different parts of the world, engaging with leaders from across the Aspen Global Leadership Network. These gatherings brought together fellows from diverse countries, industries and perspectives to reflect on leadership in an increasingly interconnected and complex global...

ALI SA congratulates Fellow Professor Reza Daniels on his appointment as Dean of Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (FEMS). Your values-based approach strengthens our shared mission to develop Africa’s visionary leaders. We sat down with Professor Daniels to explore his vision. Here is what he shared. Charting Economic Leadership from Stellenbosch &#...

We are delighted to celebrate Moshoeshoe Monare, ALI SA Fellow Class XV: Khawuleza, on his appointment as group head of Corporate Affairs at Primedia. Bringing nearly three decades of media leadership and governance experience, he steps into this strategic role at a pivotal time for South Africa’s media and communications landscape. To view the full article, read it HERE. Source: Bizcommun...

On a warm evening late January 2026 in Johannesburg, the ALI South Africa community gathered to welcome Class XVI into a fellowship that asks a simple but demanding question: what will your leadership mean for generations to come? The atmosphere was exciting and vibrant, with the room buzzing from the moment alumni Fellows and the newly selected Class XVI members began mingling with each other. R...

On 7 February 2026, Fellows, faculty and families gathered at De Hoek Country Hotel to celebrate the graduation of the ALI Young Leaders Motheo Class, the sixth cohort of the programme. It was an afternoon that reflected the spirit of the fellowship: thoughtful, creative and hopeful about the leadership work ahead. A highlight of the ceremony was the Motheo Class performance of “Antigony – Th...

The inaugural class, Kwibuka, of the Bloomberg Africa Leadership Initiative (ALI) Fellowship is mourning the passing of their classmate, award-winning journalist and author Ufrieda Ho, who recently succumbed after a long and brave battle with illness. Ufrieda was widely admired for her gift of storytelling — her ability to illuminate the human condition with empathy, clarity, and purpose. ...

We are pleased to introduce the newest members of the ALI South Africa Fellowship! Our new cohort of Class XVI Fellows represents a diverse cross-section of professional industries. We extend our gratitude to all who submitted nominations. Your insights have been invaluable in identifying leaders committed to societal impact and principled leadership. Class XVI’s exceptional group of indivi...

ALI SA Chairman and Fellow, Raymond Ndlovu This past year has been one of consolidation and renewed growth. ALI SA has moved from guarding its very existence to rediscovering its momentum, energy and voice. There has been a significant rise in interest, engagement and enthusiasm among Fellows, including some who have returned after a long absence. Many stepped back during the period when ALI SA...

ALI SA Executive Director and Fellow, Lynette Chen Looking back on 2025, I’m struck by how much we have experienced together—as a fellowship, as a community, and as leaders committed to Africa’s future. Hosting the Africa Impact Forum once again here in South Africa was a highlight, reminding me of the powerful connections that bind us across the continent. It was inspiring to see our ALI...

ALI SA Fellow, Adi Enthoven South Africa’s story over the past decade has often been told as one of inevitable decline, fraying institutions and fading hope. Yet voices from within business and civic leadership are beginning to ask a different question: what if the trend line is starting to bend in the right direction again and what would that mean for our shared future as a country and as a c...

In June this year, ALI SA hosted a Dialogue on “South Africa: Navigating Geopolitical Shifts”, bringing together Fellows and partners for a frank, thoughtful discussion on how global power shifts are reshaping South Africa’s choices at home and abroad. Six months later, much of what was shared in that room still frames how we understand the country’s position in a more contested w...

ALI WA Fellow, Bright Simons The global conversation about Africa and minerals tends to follow a familiar script: vast untapped wealth, geopolitical competition and the promise of a green-energy windfall. But is this framing serving Africa’s interests, or someone else’s? Bright Simons, founder of mPedigree and an ALI West Africa Fellow, has spent over a decade questioning the assum...

ALI SA Fellow, Dr Brenda Kubheka-Chauke In a recent News24 opinion piece, Dr Brenda Kubheka-Chauke (Class XIII: Akani) explores how climate change in South Africa is not only an environmental crisis but a profound challenge to human rights. Drawing on her experience in public health, governance and ethics, she reflects on how flooding, heat and displacement aggravate existing inequalities, with...

South Africa’s public education system is one of the largest and most complex service networks in the country: more than 24 000 schools, hundreds of thousands of educators and millions of learners spread across 75 districts and nine provinces. Leading in this environment means making decisions every day that shape learner’s futures. Doing that well requires more than intuition or annual repor...

TEACH SA recently brought together partners, supporters and Alumni for a morning that looked back on its journey and looked ahead to what is still possible for South Africa’s learners. Hosted at Deloitte’s Johannesburg offices, the gathering honoured a 17-year track record of placing committed graduates into classrooms and strengthening the national pipeline of high-quality STEM educators. Fr...

ALI SA Fellow, Andy Kawa with her daughter, Celi. Fifteen years ago, Andy Kawa (Class VIII: Mahube) survived a brutal attack on King’s Beach in Port Elizabeth. What began as a deeply personal trauma became a fifteen-year struggle to hold the state accountable for its failure to protect and to respond. Her case went all the way to the Constitutional Court, which in 2022 affirmed that the po...

ALI SA Fellow, Dr Nobs Mwanda Gender-based violence and femicide remain among South Africa’s most urgent human rights crises, cutting across age, geography and income and leaving deep physical, emotional and economic scars on individuals and communities. Against this backdrop, long-term, community-rooted work that centres prevention, healing and accountability is essential to shifting the con...

ALI Young Leader Fellow, Raymond Ledwaba Co-founded by ALI Young Leader Fellow, Raymond Ledwaba (ALI Young Leaders, Class of 2015), Diski Nine9 is partnering with Manchester City, Midea and Tackle Africa to equip young people with leadership skills through the game they love – football. In this short video, Raymond shares how the first Johannesburg activation is bringing together coaches...