Thuma Yena: An unsung Rebel

He chose to lead. And that’s exactly what he did.

I live in a country where Youth leadership is often a narrative that is encouraged in our media industries, business entities and even in our schools and higher education systems. ESPECIALLY our higher education systems.

I can relate to this as I myself, had spent half of my life in crammed buildings that told me that without a piece of paper in my hand that says “Passed with Distinction”, then my life could potentially fall in shambles. I was stuck between getting good marks verses having to follow a passion that didn't guarantee a 6-figure salary at the end of the day. That is how many of the education systems often try to sell the dream of “leadership” but the textbook version of it only. You end up wanting to know more about the concept but most importantly being more of what the concept embodies.

So whilst I was in the midst of trying to figure everything out, I didn't really come to terms with what it means to be a Youth in “Leadership” till I had come across one individual who defined the terminology for me in ways that I had never really given thought about.

Siyabonga Tshabalala.

Also popularly known as “Siya” , a young man who embodied leadership in ways that had MANY feeling uncomfortable. Even the “old dogs” of the game held back their barks and bites because deep down, they couldn't help but admire from afar.

What’s the story behind him?

Siya and I simultaneously attended a private university popularly known as Monash South Africa — an entity that supposedly had our best interests at heart, until the game was switched up, where students now found themselves having to come to grips with the news that the university would ultimately lose its prestige identity in a blink of an eye. Monash South Africa had decided to sell its soul after rewarding its equity to Advtech, a company that operates within the education sector in South Africa.

This purchase had many students feeling angry and betrayed for the main reasons that the sale was done out of the blue without anybody's knowledge and most importantly, Monash South Africa which was part of Monash University Australia was ultimately going to lose the weight of its legacy due to the fact that part of the deal with Advtech also included changes such as:

• The University’s name, identity,
• The University's traditional learning system

These were two major setbacks that could have potentially effected employability, value and relevancy within the job market. An extremely tough market in a country that sees many youth having to sit at their homes with no form of income or economical support system no matter how educated they are by paper.

With Siya being one of the few students who availed himself to take the lead role in “fighting the good fight”, his determination to stand for the student body against a change that could have ultimately affected my future and many others is still considered a commendable action that took courage in all its forms.

He was one of the few people who saw value in an institution that many saw as a dead asset that needed to be buried underground. Heck, he would miss classes and trade some time to go meet with the institution’s authorities and try to rationalize the effects of what their actions could have on the schools name and the student body of all faculties. He was even on local radio stations eloquently addressing the concerns that his fellow peers had felt.

He cared. And that’s what separated his leadership style from the rest.

What fascinated me the most was not his strategies or tactical abilities to set the record straight even amongst people twice his age, but the genuine passion that he brought into this.

Although we lost the battle of saving Monash South Africa’s legacy, there is one thing that turned out good from what seemed like a hopeless situation and that was having to see Youth Leadership at its best from people like Siya who continue to put themselves in the forefront of leaving blazing trails of power.

A Leader he is and a Leader he will always remain.

Thank you Siya, for being a blazing trail of Power.

Thobeka Gigaba, Human Rights Activist and Blogger, Ambassador of Womens March SA, Country Director of NMF and ITA, Survey Leader of United Against Slavery United States, Criminology/Poltiical Science Student.