Foundation News
June 2025 Stakeholder Update
Dear Stakeholder As the second quarter of 2025 draws to a close, we invite you to pause and reflect with us at the year’s halfway mark. From rich engagements during our annual Board meeting, to deepened programme work and alumni connection, this quarter has reaffirmed our shared commitment to principled African leadership and Nelson Mandela’s enduring vision.
Stakeholder relations
Strategic engagements are vital for deepening collaboration and amplifying the visibility, relevance, and reach of our mission globally. In June, MRF CEO Judy Sikuza travelled to Oxford to deliver a farewell tribute to outgoing Rhodes Trust Warden and CEO Dr Elizabeth Kiss. A deeply values-aligned partner, Dr Kiss was the first woman to hold the role and consistently embodied Nelson Mandela’s leadership ethos. Her tenure was marked by a strong commitment to inclusivity and to advancing opportunities for underrepresented regions, including Africa.
From left to right: Marcy McCall MacBain, John McCall MacBain, Judy Sikuza, Elizabeth Kiss and Jeff Holzgrefe at Elizabeth’s farewell in Oxford.
While in the UK, Judy also met with prospective donors and stakeholders including Oxford University Press Global CEO Nigel Portwood, and Group Education Head Fathima Dada, reinforcing our shared commitment to education and leadership.
Board of Trustees engagements
A key highlight of this quarter was the annual Mandela Rhodes Foundation Board meeting, which brought together Trustees, staff, Scholars, alumni, and valued partners for a series of purposeful and impactful engagements. More than a governance milestone, the gathering was a powerful relational moment - one that echoed Nelson Mandela’s enduring belief in dialogue, community, and shared leadership.
The multi-day programme included a resonant keynote by Dr Bayo Akomolafe, a Nigerian philosopher, poet, and writer known for his work on post-activism, indigenous knowledge systems, and reimagining leadership through a decolonial and deeply human lens. His values-aligned reflections helped frame the week’s engagements with imagination, insight, and a spirit of collective accountability.
Throughout the programme, Trustees connected closely with current Scholars and alumni, as well as key figures from the South African higher education system, including Vice-Chancellors, Deputy Vice-Chancellors and Deans from key partner universities across South Africa. These engagements solidified vital relationships and reinforced our shared commitment to supporting Mandela Rhodes Scholars through their academic and leadership journeys.
The engagements were a vibrant reflection of Madiba’s legacy and the Foundation’s ongoing commitment to nurturing ethical, inclusive leadership across the continent.
MRF Trustees, staff, and a group of Scholars in residence sharing an intergenerational moment of connection and fun.
Thought leadership – Leadership Magazine Feature
In a recent feature with Leadership Magazine, MRF CEO Judy Sikuza shared how the Foundation continues to help shape Africa’s future through transformative leadership development. She highlighted our expanded Pan-African outreach, the deepening of our alumni network, and the launch of The Mandela Rhodes Foundation Podcast series as part of our growing thought leadership initiatives.
Judy spoke passionately about the principles guiding our work - reconciliation, education, entrepreneurship, and leadership - and the type of ethical, inclusive, and visionary leadership Africa urgently needs.
Read the full article here (page 16) as featured in Leadership Magazine.
Programme news
First year programme
In April, the Class of 2025 met in their Regional Pods - local support groups designed to deepen reflection and learning between the three core Leadership Retreats. The Johannesburg and Cape Town Pods expanded on previous Enneagram work by exploring tritypes and integration lines, helping Scholars understand how core instincts shape behaviour under pressure and support growth. Scholars also engaged in somatic reflection to explore and release personal “armour.”
Grounded in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the sessions encouraged reflection on character vs personality ethics through complex leadership scenarios. Scholars were also introduced to the Umoya Policy - a living, co-created commitment to accountability and belonging in the MRF community, based on care, courage, and relational integrity.
In May, the cohort gathered online for their first Connection & Community session, designed to nurture relationships and address barriers to collective growth. Preparations are now underway for the next Leadership Retreat on Reconciliation and Reparation in July.
From left to right: Some first year Scholars in residence at their Regional Pods in Cape Town and Johannesburg.
Second year programme
During the second quarter, Second Year Scholars moved through the 'immerse and discover' phases of their co-design journeys deepening relationships with communities, individuals, mapping systems, and refining lines of inquiry.
Through two virtual touchpoints, teams collaborated to better understand the complex dynamics shaping their focus areas: food systems, governance, climate justice, and education. Guided by curiosity and care, Scholars are beginning to surface opportunities for meaningful contribution - asking bold, generative questions about what becomes possible when leadership is rooted in trust, relationship, and imagination.
As the next phase unfolds, teams have begun preparing for their interactive exhibitions at the August Module 2 workshop, where they will share their co-designed journeys with the broader MRF community and stakeholders.
A group of second year Scholars at one of their two virtual touchpoints.
Scholar stories
Our Scholars’ study disciplines are wonderfully diverse. Meet two current scholars in residence who plan to make big changes in their respective areas of expertise:
Hilda Maritim (Kenya & University of Cape Town, 2025) is studying for her master’s degree in media theory and practice. With a passion for keeping children safe online, Hilda’s research is helping her gather data that will influence policy change to help reduce harm children face online. Hilda wants to ensure that children in Africa are supported in the digital world.
Nigel Nji (Cameroon and University of Cape Town, 2025) recently started his master’s degree in public health at UCT. Nigel is focusing on Gender Based Violence (GBV) and Forensic Nursing. GBV in Cameroon has significant social, economic, and health implications for women, and Nigel intends to help change the status quo.
From left to right: Hilda Maritim and Nigel Nji
Alumni relations
We are proud to maintain strong, ongoing relationships with our alumni, who remain actively connected to the Foundation and to one another. In April and May, full-day work-life and wellbeing leadership retreats were hosted for alumni based in Gauteng and the Western Cape respectively.
Beyond offering valuable opportunities to reconnect and network, the retreats aimed to equip alumni with practical tools to recognise and adopt healthy wellbeing habits - key to avoiding burnout and fostering sustainable leadership. Activities included breathwork, yoga, and a masterclass on work-life balance, with each retreat concluding on a playful note with a “sip ‘n paint” session.
Both gatherings were vibrant reflections of the enduring MRF magic, with intergenerational alumni engaging intentionally throughout the day.
From left to right: Gauteng and Western Cape-based alumni at their wellbeing leadership retreats.
Alumni on the move
As always Mandela Rhodes alumni continue to inspire us with their incredible achievements. Our congratulations go to:
Lethabo Motsoaledi (South Africa & University of Cape Town, 2016) made the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. As the co-founder and CTO of Voyc AI, Lethabo is using technology to improve call centre interactions across South Africa and Europe. Since launching in 2018, Voyc AI has raised $2.1 million and has monitored millions of calls.
Gwaha Madwatte (Nigeria & University of the Western Cape, 2020), has made history as the first University of Pretoria graduate to receive the prestigious Wenner-Gren Wadsworth African Fellowship. This annual $20,000 award supports African students pursuing PhDs in anthropology at South African universities, providing funding for tuition, living expenses and research.
From left to right: Lethabo Motsoaledi and Gwaha Madwatte.
Welcome to Juanitill Pettus
After a rigorous external recruitment process, we are pleased to announce that Juanitill Pettus joined the Foundation as Programme Manager on 1 June.
A seasoned facilitator, coach, and strategist, Juanitill is passionate about building a more equal world. She began her career in youth development at the Pinotage Youth Development Academy and has held roles at some of South Africa’s top universities. She led the Teachers CAN fellowship and facilitated the Tutu Foundation’s Leading for Humanity Programme.
Juanitill holds an Economics degree from the University of the Western Cape and a Postgraduate Diploma in Futures Studies from Stellenbosch Business School, and was a 2016 Mandela Washington Fellow. She is committed to reimagining a more just, sustainable, and liberated world by walking alongside the next generation of changemakers.
Read more about Juanitill here.
Juanitill Pettus
Despite current global challenges and shifting power dynamics, we take heart in the resilience and vision of our community. We remain deeply grateful for the support of our donors, partners and stakeholders, whose belief in our mission sustains our work, which is grounded in courage, empathy, and purpose. Together, we move forward - helping shape a future Africa worthy of the next generation.
With warm wishes, The Mandela Rhodes Foundation
