I won’t sugarcoat it—life happened, and this little corner of the internet had to take a backseat. But the truth is, I’ve missed this space more than I can put into words. Writing here has always felt like sitting down with a friend over coffee, catching up on all the things that make us think, laugh, and sometimes shake our heads at the world.
So, here I am. Back. And this time, I’m bringing more energy, more ideas, and more of what made this blog special in the first place. Whether you’ve been here from the start or just stumbled in, I promise: we’re picking up right where we left off—but with a little extra spark.
To kick things off, I’m diving into something fresh: A child is born. Think of it as your exclusive sneak peak into what I am now working on- because let’s face it, we’re all trying to keep up these days.
So, let’s get into it. Because this isn’t just a comeback—it’s the beginning of something even better. Ready? Let’s go.
Image: Maverickcoltman Photography
In my 365-day hiatus, life didn’t exactly slow down—it sped up in ways I couldn’t have imagined. I had the privilege of working with the Mandela University Choir, where I wore many hats—writing, composing, and even singing alongside some of the most gifted voices I’ve ever encountered. Together, we crafted what became the highlight of 2024: the Roots and Wings End-of-Year Concert—a celebration of growth, resilience, and soaring to new heights.
Beyond that, I stepped into a national role as a Community of Practice member with the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE), representing Nelson Mandela University among 26 South African universities. It was an honour to carry that torch while thriving as an entrepreneur—facilitating, emceeing, and taking my place at tables where innovation and bold ideas came to life. This year away wasn’t just a pause; it was a launchpad.
After the curtains closed on the Roots and Wings concert, the magic didn’t end there. The same incredible leadership committee, bound by our shared love for music, theatre, and teaching, knew we couldn’t let that creative spark fade. So, we got to work—dreaming, planning, and building something new, something bigger. What started as a shared vision is now on the brink of becoming a reality, as we prepare to launch a project that merges our passions into a space for innovation and storytelling. It’s been months of collaboration and hard work, and in just a few days, the world will get to see what we’ve been cooking up.
So, like a child would explain to their parents if they didn’t come home the night before, I have come home to explain where I have been, the works must show now. Shall we?
One can argue that time is a construct, according to one’s opinion and point of view. Nonetheless, the year 2020 put everything into perspective for all of us. Time became one of the most valuable things, forcing us to stay at home and organize meetings online and making us hope we could skip to the conclusion of the upheaval so we could get back to our regular lives.
The 2023 Alumni Award Ceremony was clearly attended by many people who were delighted to finally see one another after three years of all events being held digitally. The ceremony was held on the 23rd of March 2023 at the Indoor Sports Centre, and recognised alumni who have gone the distance and beyond in their various fields, to the benefit of society at local, provincial, and international levels.
Speaking at the ceremony, Vice-Chancellor of Nelson Mandela University Professor Sibongile Muthwa reported that more than 100 alumni awards had been given to graduates from a variety of fields and age brackets since the establishment of the Alumni Achiever Awards in 2010. She added that our university enrolled more than 30 000 students, each of whom has their unique set of goals and experiences. The award winners are role models whose accomplishments serve as an inspiration to others.
We have a broad age spectrum, which reflects the power of the lifelong connection from which we draw experience and wisdom,”
Professor Sibongile Muthwa
In this year’s awards alumni from a variety of fields, including sports, law, psychology, and academia, received eight honours in three categories.
In honour of Professor Cheryl Foxcroft’s more than 40 years of academic service at Mandela University, she was given a Special Award. She was previously the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Learning and Teaching. Alumni Association President Siphile Hlwatika reiterated that Professor Foxcroft’s work included successfully navigating instruction throughout the #FeesMustFall protests and the COVID-19 pandemic by establishing the hybrid form of learning.
Professor Cheryl FoxCrofy ,Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Learning & Teaching. Nelson Mandela University
Recipients of the Alumni Achiever awards were educator and seasoned musician Willem Bouwer van Rooyen, award-winning clinical psychologist Anele Siswana, renowned Johannesburg attorney Ziyanda Ntshona, and mathematician Professor Nosisi Feza, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Postgraduate Studies at the University of Venda, who stood proudly to say, “At Nelson Mandela University, we do everything with integrity”.
Rising Star honours were given to 3 recipients, clinical‘’psychologist Curwyn Mapaling, who attended the World Peace Summit in Kenya earlier this year. In his speech he quoted 7 things that led him to where he is, How to Buddy, Peer Help, Beyond the Classroom, Student Counselling, healing, family, and Nelson Mandela University at large.
Award recipients with the Nelson Mandela University Vice Chancellor Professor Sibongile Muthwa (front row: third from right).
Education expert, author, and influencer Awonke Nqayiya, who thanked the Mandela University lectures for his success, “I am because they are,” he said. Sedibu Mohlaba, manager of Cricket South Africa’s women’s squad, who said “Good deeds never go unnoticed”, speaking on his success.
The ceremony saw recipients of all ages, receiving the recognition they well deserve. An evening of honour and inspiration, of diversity and integrity, the values of Nelson Mandela University.
I live by a simple motto “The best time to plant a tree was ten years ago but, the next best time to plant a tree is now, go plant your tree”, Bongani Momoti said as he introduced himself. He further elaborated that this is influenced by the fact that you must never delay your plans, happiness or living. Go out there and live today, go get that deal today, go change your life today, now is the next best time.
Bongani Momoti, is a multi-talented and vibrant student pursuing his honours degree in Bachelor of Human Settlements Development at the Nelson Mandela University.
Born in King Williams Town, he grew up in the coastal city of East London with a small family of four: his mother, father, brother, and himself.
“I come from a very traditional and a Christian family with morals and values being the supreme order of the household. Equally, I come from a very loving but strict family that I honestly would not trade for the world.”
He describes himself as a God-fearing man and further explains that for him, faith comes before everything. “I put my trust in the supreme being. Everything I am today, where I come from, where I am going and whom I am going to become, is solemnly because of God.”
He started his schooling career at Crewe Primary School, a local school in the heart of Amalinda, where he says he was introduced to excellent foundations of education, sporting, and recreational activities. He furthered his studies at East London Science College, a private school where he completed his high school years.
E-Tutoring founder Bongani Momoti
“My school life was probably the best time of my life as I was involved and excelling young boy. I played sports, represented my school in public speaking & debating, and I was involved in the Xhosa society where I showcased my talent and gift of dancing and doing praise poetry.”
He tells his story of how his experience in his schooling years before university affected his future.
“I think my life hit a different toll when I failed grade 11 in 2013 due to contracting Tuberculosis just a month before I went to initiation school, which then caused me to miss exams while trying to seek medical and traditional care.
I was always a very smart young man who had a certain social position in my high school, so when that happened, it really tarnished me and changed my entire outlook on life.
I changed schools because I was too embarrassed to face everyone that knew me at my former school. I guess that was the beginning of my new journey. In my new school, also in East London, I had one goal in mind: which was to excel in everything I do, and I used my disappointment, trauma, and pain as motivation. I ended up being in the school’s top 10 throughout the remaining years of my high school career.
Well, I think that ordeal shaped my future a lot because I went on to study one of my dream courses Electrical Engineering at Nelson Mandela University in 2016 before I changed to the course I am doing now, still under engineering, a Bachelor of Human Settlements Development.”
Poster via Bongani
The Coronavirus pandemic hit South Africa like any other country in the world and shook up the education system. Many schools were shutdown, leaving pupils with no contact lessons and having to push more for themselves at home.
This on its own was a difficult task as not all pupils can fend for themselves without the intimate lessons from a teacher to a student, and not all families are equipped enough to help their children who struggle in school.
I am a young man who is driven and highly motivated to change his situation, and more importantly, impact many people’s lives for the better
Bongani Momoti
Bongani Momoti.
Momoti took it upon himself to start tutoring high school pupils’ in grades 10-12. His E-tutoring initiative offers services to subjects such as, Mathematics, Maths Literacy, Life Sciences and Physical Science.
“I am one of the people that appreciate the Covid-19 pandemic because it assisted with my mental health, I got time to think about my life in terms of where I have come from, where I am and where I want to go” he said.
Momoti added that it has given birth to many business, academic & social development successes and achievements thus far and that as much as one would complain about how it financially restricted us, there is a lot more that can be taken away from this Covid-19 pandemic.
“Well I have a lot of plans for my tutoring business, but most importantly I want my tutoring business to turn into an academy. An institution that caters for various National Qualification Framework certificates, qualifications and for it to be internationally recognised.
Our community outreach programme also has a goal to donate essential items, books, uniform & nutrition packs to the under privileged” Momoti added.
“Children with special educational needs need a lot of time and effort, do not let anyone lie to you”, that is how former special education teacher clarified the myth around learning disabilities.
In education, not all people grasp concepts of the curriculum the same way, and for all to succeed, the system has special education schools for children with learning disabilities. The Foundation for people with learning disabilities describes a learning disability as finding it hard to learn certain life skills and these may include communication, managing, reading, writing or personal care.
There are variations to what causes learning disabilities; however, they are mainly caused by something affecting the development of the brain. This may happen during birth, before birth or in early childhood. Other causes include genetics and the environment in which they live.
The Diagnostics Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM -5) classifies learning disabilities as Specific Learning Disabilities and they rare classified by these symptoms:
• Persistent difficulties in reading, writing, arithmetic, or mathematical reasoning skills during formal years of schooling. Symptoms may include inaccurate or slow and effortful reading, poor written expression that lacks clarity, difficulties remembering number facts, or inaccurate mathematical reasoning.
• Current academic skills must be well below the average range of scores in culturally and linguistically appropriate tests of reading, writing, or mathematics. Accordingly, a person who is dyslexic must read with great effort and not in the same manner as those who are typical readers.
• Learning difficulties begin during the school-age years.
• The individual’s difficulties must not be better explained by developmental, neurological, sensory (vision or hearing), or motor disorders and must significantly interfere with academic achievement, occupational performance, or activities of daily living.
The five main learning disorders are-
Dyscalculia- A specific learning disability that affects a person’s ability to understand numbers and learn math facts.
Dyslexia- A specific learning disability that affects reading and related language-based processing skills.
Dysgraphia- A specific learning disability that affects a person’s handwriting ability and fine motor skills.
Non-verbal learning disabilities- Has trouble interpreting nonverbal cues like facial expressions or body language and may have poor coordination.
Oral / Written Language Disorder and Specific Reading Comprehension Deficit-
Learning disabilities that affect an individual’s understanding of what they read or of spoken language. The ability to express one’s self with oral language may also be impacted.
Image source: Pinterest
There are other related disorders such as ADHD, Dyspraxia and Executive functioning.
Lindokuhle Phila Hadebe, born in Soweto and raised in Barberton Mpumalanga is a Psychology graduate majoring in education who had the opportunity to work with children with learning disabilities. She is also the host of a podcast, Learning with Lindo, which is available on Anchor, Apple podcast, Spotify and Google Podcast that outlines in great detail the different symptoms of each learning disability and what parents should know and look out for.
She talks to us about her journey as a teacher in a special education school.
‘Intrinsically, I have always had an interest in language acquisition, and I used to wonder how we learn languages, to speak and communicate but I also wanted to solve problems that children had. And because my grandmother helped every single person we met, I learnt at a very young age that every problem had a possible solution.
I did not choose special education instead of a normal teaching degree, I went to university and studied social work. For the social work degree I needed to do a bit of internship work and I found a school for children with cognitive learning challenges; this school had children as old as 9 in Grade 1 struggling to learn so I made an Enquiry about types of learners they have and then made a decision to change course to Psychology and chose Education as a second major.
A jovial Lindokuhle
Curriculum
‘I spent my entire year in complete emotional and mental exhaustion and with little strides made because a lot of the work required an integration of the curriculum objectives which were suitable for mainstream children with the reality of “what does this child need to learn?”, so at the height of all issues is the reality that the current curriculum does not cater for children with cognitive barriers to learning.
I would have a child who is at the age of 13 who cannot identify alphabets or read and write, this same child would be required, by the curriculum expectations, to answer questions about The Renaissance in Social Science class instead of spending the time we have filling in the literacy gaps and centring their learning around accommodations which are meant to help them all through life. They were learning about 1652 and the Cape of Good Hope, instead of advancing their life and social skills we had to cover content for them to be assessed by the curriculum and report back to the Department of Basic Education.
But it was also amazing to see children who could not read, learn how to read, children who could not communicate be taught how to use communication cards to express themselves, children who struggle with maths be given appropriate aids in class to help them conceptualise information. It was also great to see a relative improvement in the children who received the right therapies. These therapies include occupational therapy, remedial therapy, and classroom interventions.’
Awareness in townships
Learning disabilities in local townships is rarely taken seriously by parents according Educational Psychologist Thobani Manci, “The majority of parents in black disadvantaged communities are not aware of services rendered by educational psychologists. They also do not know about learning barriers and disabilities. Even when teachers inform them of these, they become in-denial because no one wants to believe that their child has an intellectual disability, therefore they normally ignore this, and teachers get frustrated on their own.”
The disadvantage that black communities face is poverty, most black families cannot afford the assessments by Educational Psychologists and the therapies that would be needed.
Therefore, there is a lot of educating that still needs to be done for black parents to understand that learning disabilities are most times genetic or caused by injury to the brain. It is not anything a child does to render themselves with a learning disability. “Another issue is that certain parents who may be aware of learning disabilities and processes involved may not be able to afford fees charged by Ed Psychologists in private practice and therefore kids would be forced to go through mainstream school even though they are struggling” Manci said.
Lockdown a blessing disguise
‘COVID-19 has presented a lot of parents and caregivers with an opportunity to be part of their child’s learning because of remote learning and a lot of parents are realizing that their children are struggling with some things related to school work, especially after concepts being learned and relearned and children still struggling to understand or carry out tasks. That should be enough for any parent to notice that their child might need help. So ask your child’s teacher if they’ve noticed the same issues in class or at school and find out what methods they have used that have worked and if they’re not making any progress then see a general practitioner who may refer your child to the relevant professionals.
Early intervention is always best and it has proven successful for most children, this does not mean that your child will be cured but it means you and your child will get to understand what they struggle with and what assistive measures and accomplishments can be made for them.’
Availability of facilities
According to Manci there are very few remedial and special needs schools in the black community. Even when assessments are done, it is difficult to find placement for these kids and this frustrates parents even more.
We are all different and learning disabilities do not mean one cannot learn; they just mean that others learn differently to others and some will find some things more challenging
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