Prof Peliwe Mnguni, acting Research Manager of the Unisa Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL)

Prof Peliwe Mnguni, acting Research Manager of the Unisa Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL) was awarded the Center for the Study of Organizational Change (CSOC) Excellence in Organizational Scholarship Award for 2013, for her paper on “Anxiety and defense in sustainability”

Prof Mnguni will officially receive the award during a ceremony at the CSOC’s flagship campus of the University of Missouri (MU) in Columbia. As part of her visit to the university she will present her paper to and meet with CSOC associates, MU students and faculty.  She also intends to explore research collaboration opportunities between Unisa SBL and CSOC during her visit.

The CSOC Excellence in Organizational Scholarship Award is a competitive award and winning it represents international recognition for Prof Mnguni’s work. The publicity that the award will receive in America, through both a press releases and a feature on the website of the Centre for the Study of Organizational Change will help strengthen the international profile of Prof Mnguni as a scholar, as well as the SBL and Unisa as a whole.

This is the first paper to be published from Prof Mnguni’s doctoral thesis which was completed in 2008 at the Swinburne University of Technology in Australia. The study explored the psychodynamics of partnering for sustainability.

The news of Prof Mnguni’s achievement came on the eve of the SBL’s inaugural Research and Innovation Day on 15 March 2013. Improved research and innovation is a key strategy among the SBL’s goals for 2013 and the future. In order to continue to be one of the leading business schools in Africa, the SBL would pioneer research that forged knowledge and innovation in business and leadership.

Abstract

Social defense theory is used to explore the nature of anxiety and defense in sustainability initiatives. Taking seriously the suggestion that people use social institutions for both creative and defensive purposes, I examine how the organisational processes of a consortium case study seemed to be mobilised to cope with anxiety. The insights contained herein are useful if those working in that domain are to guard against the very wastefulness they ostensibly seek to redress. The data that inform the discussion come from a qualitative research project that sought to explore the psychodynamics of partnering for sustainability.

Mr Sizwe Nxasana, Chief Executive Officer of FirstRand Limited, during the SBL Research and Innovation Day

“The Unisa Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL) is committed to pioneering research excellence that advances the creation of new knowledge and innovation in business and leadership.  This Research and Innovation Day is thus not just another business as usual day in the research history of the SBL” said Prof Elmarie Sadler, SBL acting executive director and CEO during the welcoming address of the first Research and Innovation Day hosted by the SBL on 15 March 2013.

The Day was officially opened by Prof Mamokgethi Phakeng, Vice-Principal:  Research and Innovation, Unisa.  Prof Phakeng introduced the Research and Innovation week at Unisa in 2012.  She said that the main purpose of the Research and Innovation Week is to provide a platform for cross-disciplinary engagements by Unisa researchers, networking and showcasing the various Unisa research programmes and flagships.

The programme of the day was carefully crafted to set the tone for pioneering research at the SBL in areas such as ethics and social responsibility.  The day was attended by senior representatives from Unisa, academics, students and key stakeholders of the SBL.  Keynote speakers to the calibre of Prof Deon Rossouw, CEO: Ethics Institute of South Africa and Mr Sizwe Nxasana, Chief Executive Officer of FirstRand Limited, addressed the issues of ethics and community engagement, respectively. Our guest speakers included Cynthia Schoeman, Managing Director:  Ethics Monitoring & Management Services, rof Sunette Pienaar, Deputy-Director:  Community Engagement, Unisa and internationally renowned public governance expert, Prof Goos Minderman, from the Universiteit, The Netherlands.

Innovation is key

Prof Divya Singh, Vice-Principal: Advisory and Assurance Services, Unisa introduced the first keynote speaker, Mr Sizwe Nxasana, Chief Executive Officer of FirstRand Limited.  In her introduction she mentioned that, after completing his studies (at both Fort Hare and Unisa) Mr Nxasana became one of the first ten black Chartered Accountants in South Africa.  He joined Telkom SA as Chief Executive Officer in 1998 and was responsible for listing Telkom on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) as well as the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).  He was appointed CEO of FirstRand Limited in 2010.

Mr Sizwe Nxasana said that South Africans must create a problem-solving attitude that can find innovative solutions to its problems rather than viewing those issues as challenges.  Mr Nxasana explained to attendees that innovation is key in the FirstRand arena.  All employees of the organisation are encouraged to participate in the innovation process.  This has evolved into exciting new ideas being implemented in the organisation.  “A room full of engineers will think one way but, bring into the mix people from various disciplines and background and an innovative solution will evolve.  That highlights the importance of embracing diversity, different backgrounds and genders,” he said.

First National Bank (FNB) recently opened operations in India.  “Operations in India are managed by people from India.  Employing people who understand the challenges of the country and its community is key” said Nxasana.  This has proven to be a success recipe.  The bank is also continuing expansion in Africa.

Mr Nxasana also addressed the South African education system and the problems it is currently facing.  He believes that children should be taught problem-solving from a young age which will empower them to develop solutions-orientated thinking.

His view is that the effective implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives should not be taken lightly.  It is not achieved through whimsical fancies, simple chequebook philanthropy, or even the vagaries of short-term returns on investment that our other day-to-day work often expects.  It requires a long-term view, managing risks and defining measurable outcomes to achieve the required impact of this investment.

The relevance of ethics for business leadership students

Prof Singh also introduced the second keynote speaker of the SBL Research and Innovation Day, Prof Deon Rossouw, CEO of the Ethics Institute of South Africa and Extraordinary Professor of both the University of Pretoria and Stellenbosch.  After completing his studies at Stellenbosch University he started his teaching career in Philosophy in 1986 at the Rand Afrikaans University in Johannesburg where he later became Professor and Head of the Philosophy Department.  He moved to the University of Pretoria where he was Head of the Philosophy Department and Director of the Centre for Business and Professional Ethics.  He joined the Ethics Institute of South Africa in 2010.  He served as a member of the Research Team for the King II Report on Corporate Governance and is a member of the Sustainability Committee of the King III Report on Corporate Governance for South Africa.

Prof Rossouw said that the King III Commission defined business ethics as the ethical values determining the interaction between a company and its shareholders.  He introduced the three levels of business ethics as:  the systemic level, incorporating economic ethics and global sustainability; the organisational level, including corporate citizenship and intra-organisational ethics and the individual level that addresses personal ethical responsibilities and dilemmas.

In his presentation Prof Rossouw focussed on business ethics as a field of study, the strategic importance of business ethics and the challenges and opportunities in business ethics research.  In his discussion regarding the strategic importance of business ethics he emphasised that there are various demands that has to be adhered to in order for an organisation to retain an ethical strategic edge, these include: 

• societal demands (declining distrust in business to do what is in the best interest of the society),
• investor demands,
• legislative demands (anti-corruption legislation and corporate law),
• reporting demands (sustainability reporting and ethics reporting) and
• self-interested considerations (the benefits of ethical behaviour including reputation and stakeholder trust)

He identified major ethics challenges for the next five years as:  enhancing the responsibility of business in society, global justice and fairness in business and trade, rethinking the ethics of capitalism, business and planetary sustainability and institutionalising ethical corporate culture.

 Ethics in Business

Ms Cynthia Schoeman, Managing Director of Ethics Monitoring & Management Services boasts a Bachelor of Arts as well as an MBA degree.  She is part of the external faculty of Duke Corporate Education and the University of Stellenbosch Corporate Education, and is an external lecturer at Wits Business School and Henley Business School.  She developed a web-based survey, The Ethics Monitor, which enables organisations to measure and monitor their ethics.  Her aim is not only to improve ethics in the workplace, but also promote the proactive management of risks.

According to Ms Schoeman the topic of ethics in business often prompts a response that ethics and business are an oxymoron, a view well supported by many ethical failures in the public and private sectors here and abroad.  For leaders who strive to make ethics an asset in their organisations, there are three primary issues they need to understand and address:  ethics is a choice, the leader’s role and how ethics is viewed in the organisation.

Says Ms Schoeman, “The people in the organisation already know the difference between right and wrong, their ethical choices are shaped by their values and moral principles; the laws governing the country; codes of conduct, procedures and systems as well as culture leadership.”

She reiterated the fact that leaders should be the custodians of ethics.  They have the primary responsibility to enhance and uplift the ethics of their organisations.  According to her ethics is a necessity in all organisations due to the fact that it makes good business sense and it gives the organisation a competitive advantage.  The cost of ethical failure to the organisation is very high.

 She concluded that there are various benefits of sound ethics, it includes:  the attraction and retaining of top staff and board members; the enhancement of corporate reputation and brand equity as well as enhancing customer loyalty and stakeholder support.

 Community engaged scholarship:  contextualisation

Prof Sunette Pienaar, Deputy-Director: Community Engagement, Unisa holds a BA (cum laude) from the University of Johannesburg and BD (cum laude) as well as a PhD from the University of Pretoria.  She has published articles and presented papers at national and international conferences on HIV/AIDS, gender, the politics of care and Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) to mention a few.  She served as Chairperson of the Research Ethics Committee and the Community Engagement Committee in the Unisa College of Economic and Management Sciences between 2010 and 2012.  In November 2012 she was appointed as the Deputy-Director for Community Engagement.  She is also the founder and chairman of Heartbeat, a NGO supporting 60 000 orphaned and vulnerable children in South Africa.

According to Prof Pienaar community engagement is increasingly being acknowledged internationally as scholarship.  Unisa thereby defines community engagement as the scholarly activity of academic research and teaching that involves external communities and stakeholders in collaborative activities that address socio-economic imperatives of South Africa and the African continent, while also enriching the teaching, learning and research objectives of the university.  Unisa has become South Africa’s first university to take community engagement to the next level by earmarking R37 million to boost education and teaching in 130 projects across the country.  One such initiative was the 500 Schools Project whereby a multi-disciplinary team researched South Africa’s underperforming schools and developed targeted interventions to boost the quality of basic education.

She said that community engagement was one of the founding principles, together with teaching and research, of the post-apartheid reconstruction within the South African higher education system.  She referred to a study done in France five years ago that showed the most prolific researchers were those who actively engaged with the public.

“Becoming the African university in serving humanity can only be realised if we move past the isolation and insulation of live in academics to break down the walls that separate us from society,” Pienaar said.  She stressed that community engagement involved scholarship is not public relations and that it is an essential issue, not a luxury.

Relevance of community engagement for business leadership students

Goos Minderman is a Professor in Public Law and Public Governance and the Director of the Zijlstra Centre for Public Governance and Control at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam.  Since 2011 he holds a position as extraordinary Professor of Good Governance at the University of Stellenbosch and he is a board member of the Centre for Executive Leadership in Government (CELG) at Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey.  He is trained as a Constitutional Lawyer.  After a career in the Dutch civil service, he was a member of the Dutch Senate and is still advising on a broad number of issues on national and local level.

In his presentation Prof Minderman focussed on the importance of business involvement in social networks and (semi) public activities.  He viewed this issue via two angles namely; the European view, where government is changing its role rapidly and seriously as well as the African view, where he focussed on the importance of business in the combating of corruption. 

Prof Minderman said that the public sector has been changing worldwide; being under pressure to become smaller and thus not being the only arena from which social, political and economical solutions would develop.  This implies that an interdependent relationship has evolved between the market, government and civil society.  “If we do not understand the ways market, government and civil society go together in an open and constructive way, there will be no solution of many needs (public and private); neither the market nor government will solve problems or expectations on their own or even in the combination of the two: there is also a social network to be connected,” said Prof Minderman.

According to him corruption costs the South African economy more than R150 billion annually and was bleeding around 30 percent from the public sector budgets.  He said that these losses, coupled with inefficiencies, were strongly limiting South Africa’s problem-solving potential.

The SBL Research and Innovation Day was concluded with a student workshop that focussed on research ethics for business leadership students.

Lt Gen CN Mbekela, SAPS Divisional Commissioner: Human Resources Development, Prof Elmarie Sadler, SBL acting Executive Director & CEO, Gen Riah Phiyega, SAPS National Police Commissioner

On Thursday, 21 February 2013, the South African Police Service (SAPS), National Police Commissioner, General Riah Phiyega and a high profile delegation of the SAPS visited the Unisa Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL).  The aim of the visit was to discuss a possible partnership between the institutions that will include the development of leadership and management programmes as well as possible research collaboration opportunities.

 In her opening address General Phiyega informed the meeting that the SAPS is in the process of professionalising its service to the community.  She said that the Police would like engage with South African business leaders and create various outreach platforms to encourage debate, inputs, and opportunities, get advice as well as discuss people issues.  Her priority is to ensure that the Police Service is transparent in the delivery of safety and security in South Africa.  She continued by informing the meeting that the SAPS are that largest police force on the African continent and employed 200 000 full-time staff members.  The Service has 25 Police Academies and recently upgraded training from six months to two years in order to enable staff to receive more specialised training.

 Prof Elmarie Sadler, acting Executive Director and CEO of the SBL said that she is confident that the SBL and other Unisa Colleges will be able to meet the needs identified by the SAPS.  “It excites me to observe the SAPS has a specific interest in the advancement of senior female police officers, as well as the advancement of research capacity.” said prof Sadler.

General Phiyega was joined by Lieutenant General CN Mbekela; Divisional Commissioner: Human Resources Development.   Unisa was represented by the SBL management and academia as well as a representative from the Unisa Police Practice Department, Mr Mpho Mathlala and the Unisa Public Administration and Management Department, Mr Sello Tsoabisi.

Further discussion will take place between the two institutions in order to compile a Memorandum of Agreement.

Speakers

Speakers at the event included vanguards of leadership, community engagement and ethics:

• Mr Sizwe Nxasana – Chief Executive Officer of FirstRand Limited,
• Prof Deon Rossouw - CEO Ethics Institute of South Africa and Extraordinary Professor: University of Pretoria, Prof Deon Rossouw
• Ms Cynthia Schoeman – MD: Ethics Monitoring & Management Services, Ms Cynthia Schoeman
• Prof Sunette Pienaar, Deputy-Director: Community Engagement, Unisa, and Prof Sunette Pienaar
• Prof Goos Minderman, Professor of Public Governance: Vrije Universiteit, The Netherlands. Prof Goos Minderman

From left to right: Sakaria Kone, SBL International Relations Officer, Hon Ali M. Hussein Hassan, Director General of HR, Office of the Somali President, H.E. Mr Augustin Habimana, Ambassador of Rwanda to Burundi, Prof Elmarie Sadler, acting Executive Director and CEO of SBL, H.E. Ambassador Basile Gateretse, AMISOM Senior Political Officer.

From the 14 – 25 January 2013 the Unisa Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL) completed the training of the second group of Somali Civil Servants in Burundi.  The training followed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that was signed in December 2012 between the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the SBL.  The SBL offered three training programmes namely: Basic Administrative Training, Practical Diplomatic Training and Protocol and Basic Secretarial Training, customised specifically for Somali Civil Servants. The aim was to empower participants within their specific working environment as wells as add value to service delivery.

The training sessions were officially opened on Monday 14 January 2013 at the Source du Nil Hotel, Bujumbura and were attended by dignitaries from Burundi Government, Federal Somali Government and members of the diplomatic Corps accredited in Burundi. In attendance were Hon Ali Hussein and Director General of Human Resource in the office of the President of Somalia, various Ambassadors to Burundi and the representative of the United State of America’s embassy to Burundi.

In her address Prof Elmarie Sadler, acting Executive Director and CEO thanked AMISOM for giving the SBL, the second opportunity to develop and introduce training for Civil Servants; the first training took place in August 2010. Says Prof Sadler: “You can be assured that the University of South Africa is always striving towards our mandate to be THE University in service of humanity. The Somali Civil Servant training as well as various other programmes that we offer on the African continent give us the opportunity to truly live up to the challenge.”  She encouraged students to develop a passion for learning and to use all the opportunities that may come their way.

Ambassador Basile Gateretse, Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union for Somalia, expressed his gratitude to the University of South Africa for partnering with the AMISOM in the reconstruction of Somalia. “The SBL is playing a key role in capacitating our Somali brothers and sisters by equipping them with knowledge to put their administration back on its feet.”

In his opening remarks the representative of Somali Government , Hon Ali Hussein, Director General of Human Resoures in the Office of the President of Somalia said that the Somali people are very appreciative of the efforts undertaken by the African Union through its mission to bringing peace and stability.  He indicated that it is the wish of the Somali people to have more involvement of South Africa in capacity development in the country.  He expressed his gratitude to the SBL for taking the lead in this initiative.

The capacity training for Somalia Civil Servants has given the University of South Africa, particularly the SBL an opportunity to re-affirm the leading role that the University is playing in Africa.

The customised training focused on the following areas:

Administration:   Sixty three (63) senior officials from various Somali government departments were trained in Administration and Management with focus on Effective Business Communication, Managing Time for Better Productivity, amongst other relevant administrative modules.

Protocol:  Twenty six (26) senior government officials from the office of the President of Somalia and the Foreign Affairs were trained on Practical Protocol with focus on the following areas: Diplomatic Ceremonies and State Visits, Ethics and Etiquette of Protocol, amongst other relevant modules.

Secretaries: Thirty six (36) senior officials from key government departments were trained in Practical Secretarial Duties, which included: Planning, Designing, Managing and Assisting and Managing for better Productivity.

Front from right to left: Ms Agnes Tele-Maseloanyane, Acting Deputy-Director General of the Broadening Participation Division of the dti, the Chairperson of the SBL Board, Mrs Xinyamisi Shemane-Diseko and the Executive Director and CEO of the SBL, Prof Valiant Clapper joined by SBL management, academics and administrative staff, forming the Procession during the B-BBEE Certification Ceremony.

The second certification ceremony of the Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Management Development Programme (MDP) of the Unisa Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL) took place on Tuesday, 20 October 2012. This ceremony is regarded as a milestone for the SBL and the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) due to the fact that approximately 300 students have now successfully completed this qualification at the School since its inception in October 2011.
In his welcoming address the acting Executive Director and CEO of the SBL, Prof Valiant Clapper said that the development of this programme has been a process of growth and very hard work for SBL academia as well as administration staff. He said that the B-BBEE will uphold its dynamic nature for some time to come, due to the announcement made by Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies on 2 October 2012 that the current generic BEE scorecard will be changed from seven to five elements. Prof Clapper said that when the final changes are announced, after the sixty day period for public comment has expired, SBL academia will be adapting the current curriculum to be geared up for the next intake of B-BBEE students in January 2013. Prof Clapper’s message to students was: “I trust that, as you move into your various fields, you will do so responsibly, informed by the spirit that was envisaged in the original conceptualisation of BEE.”
Keynote speaker at the event was, Ms Agnes Tele-Maseloanyane, Acting Deputy-Director General of the Broadening Participation Division of the dti. With more than 20-years experience in government she is currently responsible for providing advice and managing the strategy and operations of the division. Ms Tele-Maseloanye commended the SBL and Wits Enterprise as partners of the dti for the successful implementation of BEE education. She urged educational institutions and students to stay abreast of new developments in industry standards for B-BBEE. She advised students to use their acquired knowledge to address issues like fronting and “tick-box” compliance. Me Tele-Maseloanyane said that many lessons have been learnt since the commencement of the BEE verification process in 2003 and that BEE was not implemented only to address unequal opportunities of the past but it is an economical imperative for the government and the country.
The B-BBEE MDP is presented at an NQF level 7 with two modes of delivery – one being the Fast Track, which is a one-month programme, the other being the Normal Track which spans over a six-month period. The programme was also delivered in Durban and Cape Town. The SBL plans to expand the regional programmes to other areas in the country in 2013.
The SBL Board Award for the best student for the Fast Track programme went to Mr Yuneal Padayachy. Ms Monique du Plessis received the Board Award for Normal Track. There were also awards for the two best groups that completed the programme. The awards were presented to the students by the Chairperson of the SBL Board Mrs Xinyamisi Shemane-Diseko who, in her congratulatory statement, asked students to use their attained knowledge to assist our country to grow towards the aspiration of equal opportunities for all.
The event was attended by representatives from the dti, the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (IRBA), the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS), the Association of BEE Verification Agencies (ABVA), the South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA) and Wits Enterprise.
The B-BBEE MDP is presented at the SBL after (the dti) asked education and training institutions in 2010 to submit proposals for the development and delivery of the dti Standardised National Qualification for the B-BBEE verification industry. Unisa SBL and Wits Enterprise were awarded the contract.

Ms Cristal Peterson (Deputy Director: Marketing and Communications) who represented the SBL at the convention and received the award on behalf of the business school.

For the fourth year in a row the Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL) was honoured with an award from EDUNIVERSAL for being part of the official selection of the Best Business Schools, internationally.

EDUNIVERSAL was formed in 2007 and the purpose of its rankings is to expose to prospective students a reference that mirrors each school’s international dimension. This enables them to make the rightful decision in choosing the institution that fits them.

Following the unprecedented success of the 4th Eduniversal World Convention in Shanghai last October, Eduniversal continued what it refers to as its ‘World Tour’ in Lima, Peru. The 5th Eduniversal World Convention was hosted by CENTRUM Católica, the Graduate Business School of the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú from 17 October to 19 October 2012.

The convention brought together Deans, Business educators, academics and professionals in education and posed a great opportunity to put forward the latest innovative and creative trends in the business education sector and to discuss the maintenance and development of excellence in business schools today.

The Eduniversal Ranking distinguishes between business schools with major international influence, internationally renowned business schools, and business schools with continental and national influence. The SBL received three palms, whereby the school is recognised as an excellent business school with strong national and continental links.

Mrs Kagiso Chikane, Reverend Doctor Frank Chikane, Mrs Hazel Makhanya and Prof Mandla Makhanya during the annual SBL Leadership in Practice Award ceremony

On 4 October, the Unisa Graduate School of Business Leadership presented its prestigious Leadership in Practice Award to Reverend Dr Frank Chikane in recognition of the legendary role he played as one of the pillars of South Africa’s struggle for democracy and freedom. This annual award was initiated in 1989 and takes into cognisance the nominee’s business achievements over the past few years and the value these achievements have added to society and the South African economy at large.

Guests were welcomed by Unisa Principal and Vice-chancellor, Prof Mandla Makhanya. Prof Makhanya mentioned that Reverend Dr Chikane – who is the 20^th recipient of the award – is following in the footsteps of great individuals who have received the award; they include Dr Mamphela Ramphele, Mr Eric Molobi, Dr Alan Knott-Craig, Ms Cheryl Carolus and Mr Cyril Ramaphosa and Dr Ntatho Motlana (to mention a few). He summarised Reverend Dr Chikane as a leader who is results-driven, portrays dedication and energy and who has the interest of the community at heart.

In his introduction of the recipient, the acting Executive Director and CEO of the SBL, Prof Valiant Clapper said that Reverend Dr Chikane embodies the principles of honesty, loyalty, transparency and ethics.  Despite years of political strife and struggle, Reverend Dr Chikane has stayed true to his service to humanity and his relentless belief in righteousness.  He is also widely known for his respect towards individuals and to the constitution of this country as well as his contribution towards establishing the Constitution.

Upon receiving the 18 carat gold coin Reverend Dr Chikane said that he was extremely humbled by this award.  He thanked Unisa and the SBL for the honour. He also welcomed friends, family, guests and previous colleagues, many of whom he has not seen in years. During his acceptance speech he focussed on three themes, being:  his own journey, the character of the struggle and visionary and transformational leadership.  After sharing interesting facts of his childhood and how he ended up in the political sphere and got involved in the struggle, Reverend Dr Chikane shared his views on leadership and his passion for the people of this country.

“Leadership must be defined around a reference point.  A leader can decide whether this reference point will have a positive of negative impact.” The reference of a true leader is integrity and justice.  A leader must have the ability to encourage people to function independently. He pleaded to the people of South Africa to “fix” our country and not wait for someone else to do it.  “The people must take hands in this process.  If we do not fix what is broken we are all going to pay a big price.” said Reverend Dr Chikane.

He firmly believes that a visionary leader must serve all the people and not only factions or groups.  He also says that corruption and the needs of the people cannot go hand in hand.  After his inspiring words Reverend Dr Chikane was met with a standing ovation.

In a tribute to Reverend Dr Chikane, Dr Sydney Mufamadi, Director: School of Leadership, University of Johannesburg and former Minister of Safety and Security and former Minister of Provincial and Local Government saluted a friendship of more than 30-years with Dr Chikane. He told guests of various events where they had to stand together in life threatening situations. He said that Dr Chikane made a moral choice to forge a better future for the people of this country.  “One of the most outstanding characteristics of Dr Chikane is his willingness to forgive.” said Dr Mufamadi.

Guests were entertained the young a capella group from Cape Town, D7 as well as South African music legendary Vusi Mahlasela who brought many memories to the stage.  The Leadership in Practice song – Rise Up – was performed by Lucky Sibanda (a member of the Afro Tenors).

Prof Ngambi and Prof Clapper (acting SBL Executive Director and CEO) during the farewell function held at the SBL.

Unisa Graduate School of Leadership (SBL) said goodbye to a dear friend and colleague, Prof Helicy Ngambi on Monday, 27 August 2012.  Prof Ngambi, when she came to South Africa in 1994, joined the SBL and moved from being a senior lecturer to full Professor in six years, before she left the business school and took the position as Deputy Dean: College of Economic and Management Sciences in 2000.

From 2005 to 2007 she was seconded as Executive Director & CEO of the SBL.  She was also the first black woman to obtain a Doctorate in Business Leadership at the business school.

In his farewell address, Prof Valiant Clapper, SBL acting Executive Director and CEO told colleagues that Prof Ngambi was a true leader.  She is able to identify talent in people and enables people to grow.  Her wished her well and ensured her of SBL support in her new position as Vice-Chancellor of the Mulungushi University in the town of Kabwe near Lusaka, Zambia.

Upon introducing Prof Ngambi, the programme director, Ms Cristal Peterson (SBL Deputy Director: Marketing and Communication) described her as a formidable woman.  Prof Ngambi described her SBL colleagues as first South African family upon arrival in the country.  She encouraged colleagues to go as far as they want to go and not to allow people to pull them down.  “Unisa is now extending its territory; you now have family in Zambia,” said Prof Ngambi.

The Chairperson of the SBL Board, Ms Xinyamisi Shemane-Diseko also attended the function and informed SBL staff that Prof Ngambi, during her tenure as Executive Director and CEO, made a stunning contribution to the SBL.  She wished her the best in her new endeavours.

Prof Ngambi left her “sisters” and “brothers” with the following words:

“Don’t take the low road; where you do something worse to a person than what they did to you – it ends in bitterness and self destruction.  Don’t take the middle road; where you are not willing to walk the extra mile and get stuck in mediocrity.  Take the high road; do more, do better to others and you will feel fulfillment.”

From left to right: Prof VA Clapper, acting Executive Director and CEO of the SBL, Mr Mengistab Kidan, Deputy Director General of Kaizen and Information Technology, Mr Endalkachew Damite, Human Resource Director of the Sugar Corporation, Mr S Kone SBL Internationalisation Officer and Mr Yifru Bekele, SBL Coordinator in Ethiopia.

Prof VA Clapper, acting Executive Director and CEO of the SBL, visited Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to meet SBL stakeholders in order to strengthen existing partnerships and to assess the challenges faced by students in this country.  The visit took place from 12 – 15 August 2012.  He was accompanied by Mr S Kone, SBL Internationalisation Officer.

Prof Clapper met with Mr Megistab Kidan, Deputy Director General, Kaizen and Information Technology and Mr Andalkachru Damite, Human Resources Director of the Sugar Corporation and SBL MBL Alumni.  Mr Kidan welcomed the SBL delegation and indicated that the visit comes at the right time due to the fact that 13 sugar plantation projects of the corporation are about to be launched.   The SBL could assist in filling the gaps that are not addressed by the projects; these include change management, continuous improvement, corporate governance and ethics as well as practical project management.

 The corporation identified senior managers to register for the SBL Master of Business Leadership (MBL) and Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration programmes. The two parties agreed to develop a memorandum of agreement (MOA) which will be signed by the end of September 2012.

Prof Clapper also had a meeting with the management of the Industrial Project Service (IPS) which has the mandate of consulting and training government owned industrial projects.  The meeting was hosted by Mr Ayele Assefa, General Manager of IPS.  During his address Prof Clapper indicated the readiness of the SBL to work with IPS in establishing capacity building in Ethiopia.  The IPS is a pioneer in industrial consultancy in Ethiopia with over 25 years of proven experience in this field.  The areas of collaboration were identified as consultancy, capacity building in management and leadership as well as customised short-learning programmes for selected clients.

The SBL delegation also met with the Metal and Engineering Corporation (METEC) to discuss the implementation of the existing collaboration agreement between the two institutions.  METEC currently has 11 students registered for the MBL programme and 14 undergraduate students registered for other Unisa programmes.

Prof Clapper held a meeting with Mr Yifru T Bekele, the SBL Coordinator in Ethiopia to get first hand information on the challenges faced by students of SBL.  Various recommendations were suggested by Prof Clapper and his team to assist Ethiopian students in streamlining aspects like management of prescribed books, supervision of DBL students and marketing of the SBL in Ethiopia.

The visit to Ethiopia offered an opportunity to reiterate the importance of strengthening the partnership with the Ethiopian Government.  Ethiopia, being the second most populated country on the continent; boasts a rapidly growing economy and offers the potential for further expansion of SBL offerings in this country.