Recap of June Events

June was a month filled with exciting & insightful engagements. The 2 events I’d like to reflect on are the ‘Take Charge Gala Dinner’ hosted by Nyimpini Mabunda and the ‘Future of the Boy Child Lounge Series’ by Empowamen, both of which touched on topics important to me.

‘Take Charge’ is a book about coming from humble beginnings to a successful corporate career, and Nyimpini celebrated the success of the book with family, friends, associates and everyone that not only made the book a success, but will be part of the next chapter of getting more youth out of poverty and unemployment, into fulfilling careers and lives. The keynote from Dr Ruel Khoza was the highlight for me, where he touched on the 3 G’s: God, Gold & Glory. A philosophical reflection from one of the most respected captains of industry and writer of the foreword to the book. We can’t wait for anyone to come save us, we need to own our destiny, but we cannot do it alone. ‘Take Charge’ is a step by step guide and roadmap for us to learn from and plan ahead from those that have walked the path before us. I’ll write my book review once done with the book to do it justice, but if the evening was anything to go by, it’s going to be a powerful read!

?We don’t start as finished products, our journeys from our childhood are critical to make us the men we are today. “We are the sums of our yesterdays, and products of our choices”, are the words that ring in my head from Bishop Teddy Kumalo, words he reminded us when we were young altar boys at St Martin De Porres Catholic Church, in Phuthaditjhaba. The Future of a Boy Child event reminded us of not leaving the boy child behind while we invest in closing the gender inequities in our societies – we need to raise a nation of good men. The quest for gender equity, as articulated in SDG5, does not mean there should be an ‘either or’ approach between boys & girls, nor is it an adversarial concept. We need our children to walk out of their homes with a sense of identify, self love, kindness, a sense of service and adventure. Empowamen did a great job in reminding us of this, including our friends at Primestars.

July is the beginning of H2 and will be a continuation of some of these themes as we look towards celebrating Mandela Day. It will also be a reflection on how we make every day about service to self and to others. How will you be of service to a cause bigger than you?