We are a generation called to be reformers; we are a reforming generation… We are here because we want to be difference makers. There’s something in our DNA that cannot accept the status qua, business as usual, things as they are. Deep down we know we are called to change things… the challenge mind-sets. We refuse to let the world around us shape or define us. We are the Lincolns, the Wilberforce, and the Mandelas of the 21^st Century. Bullets don’t scare us, mediocrity scares us, and indifference scares. Poet Jacob Chmielewski once said “Losing my life does not scare me, wasting it does”.

To most people, I go by the name Zizi, my name is Zizipho Zika’Thixo Pae. I was born in rural Kwa-Zulu Natal in late 1993, approximately six months before the first Democratic elections, where Nelson Mandela became the President of the Republic of South Africa. Then, I was too young to vote………………. So too was my mother.

My mother had to go to school and so by default, I was raised by my grandmother. Probably the most phenomenal woman I will ever know. She taught me how to walk, talk and feed myself. As I grew older, she taught me how to cook and wash dishes. But above all that and most valuable of all, she taught me to speak up, to never be silent about things that matter. Through her example, I learnt to be fear-less and bold… and in the midst of all of that, to be compassionate. She taught me to remain grounded, humble, to love God and respect others. May her soul rest in peace.

In rural KZN, we walked 3miles to get water, we lived by candle-light and ate meat once, maybe twice if lucky in two weeks. I’ve never known what its’ like to talk economics or physics with my family, I’ve never known abundance or wealth and even though I now live in the city, my mother can’t even afford my university textbooks.

But now, I share a story very similar to many South African people of my generation. Having a teenage parent, growing up without any presence of a father and often lacking funds for basic things like food. My great-grandmother worked as a housekeeper. My grandmother slaved away on her own raising seven children, and my mother does the same, just that her package is not as big.

But what makes my story slightly different, is that I have chosen to end that cycle. The cycle of a family that is uneducated, that lacks, that lives by candle light. With the grace of God, I’ve been given the opportunity at a life that is more promising. In my final year of high school, I was awarded the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation merit scholarship for academic excellence, leadership and entrepreneurial potential. This is the most distinguished undergraduate scholarship in the country whose motto is “investing in greatness”. I’m currently studying a Bachelor of Business Science with a major in Actuarial Science at the University of Cape Town. And I plan to use my education, my skills and my confidence to serve my family, the people of South Africa and even the world at large.

I see our generation, the youth of the early 21^st century as a blessed one. Although we have grandparents and even parents who lived in active segregation under the apartheid era, we the youth didn’t. And so we have no excuse. So many of our young people settle for a baby at the age of fifteen, some believe they can never escape the cycles of poverty and lack. Education is still a luxury for many people of our generation. But we are the most privileged of all South Africans, because we have the most important job in South Africa.

So dear young people who will consciountize our people. We must in-still in their minds a philosophy of freedom greater than the liberating feeling Mandela had when he walked out of Robin Island. Dear young people who will heed our generation into believing that the colour of their skin is simply a pigment and not a restriction that deprives one from attaining their seemingly intangible dreams. We are to make dreamers of the marginalized and weaker. Because our calling is to break down boundaries between our people and their perishing history. Our calling is to inculcate the youth from grassroots to emancipation from mental slavery.

The South African Washington International Program is aimed at raising up such people. For me personally, SAWIP is one of the greatest stepping stones that is helping me become a leader that is conscious, competent, confident, compassionate and most of all, a leader that leads with heart as well as mind. It has opened doors and given me opportunities that I never even imagined as a little girl living in the rural outskirts of Kwa-Zulu Natal.

Remember time goes by very quickly. And we will not be young forever, so let us start now.

The clock is ticking.

Thank you

Speech given at an event held at The Woodrow Wilson Center, and in partnership between the South Africa – Washington International Program and The Woodrow Wilson Center. The topic of the event was: “Driving the African Century: Youth, Technology, and Entrepreneurship”. The event focused on the prospects for African economic growth in the 21^st century.

As a result of the colour of my skin, I would (because of South Africa’s apartheid history) be considered previously disadvantaged. I, however, consider myself to be a privileged South African citizen. This status is something that I am always conscious of. With this privilege comes the responsibility to contribute to nation-building in South Africa, which involves addressing the socio-economic remnants of apartheid. This is a responsibility that I accept.

Good afternoon. My name is Mario Meyer. For the next few minutes, I would like to share with you my thoughts concerning entrepreneurship regarding the theme: “Driving the African Century: Youth, Technology, and Entrepreneurship”. I begin by sharing with you the story of how I have come to define “entrepreneurship” as I do.

Over the last 7 years, I have been a part of various leadership development programs, which have provided me with mind-set and skill-set broadening exposure. One of the leadership development programs that I have been a part of is the Mandela Rhodes Scholarship, which is administered by the Mandela Rhodes Foundation. The Mandela Rhodes Foundation is one of Madiba’s three legacy foundations, and aims to help build exceptional leadership capacity in Africa. The core values sought for in recipients of the Mandela Rhodes Scholarship are: reconciliation, education, leadership, and entrepreneurship.

Of these four values, “entrepreneurship” was the one I least identified with when I became a Mandela Rhodes Scholar. My understanding of “entrepreneurship” was limited to the traditional for-profit business model, and I did not think that I possessed neither the mind-set nor the skill-set to succeed in “that” field. The Mandela Rhodes Scholarship experience helped me re-define entrepreneurship as a mind-set: as a belief in innovation and creativity, and in the critical role played by human effort in addressing socio-economic challenges.

Across Africa, and around the world, people encounter similar problems: inadequate education and healthcare systems, mistrust of political institutions, entrenched multi-dimensional poverty and increasing inequality, the effects of global warming and climate change, the threat and effects of war and terrorism; in short, there exists a general dissatisfaction with the status quo.

Despite governments’ mandate to translate the will of citizens into policy and to deliver social goods, they are by nature less innovative than individual entrepreneurial citizen-driven efforts. The primary responsibility for driving innovation does not lie with governments. Governments’ primary responsibility is to establish conditions, incentives, and policies that enable innovation to occur. The onus for innovation in Africa that results in socio-economic improvement rests upon African society-at-large, particularly the youth.

Africa’s most precious resource is not its gold, coal, or even its oil; it is, in fact, its young people. In less than three generations, 41% of the world’s youth will be African. By 2015, Africa’s labour force will be larger than China’s. The 21^st century has the potential to be Africa’s greatest ever century.

This is why entrepreneurship is important. The traditional understanding of “entrepreneurship” is limited. Being an entrepreneur is not confined to being a business owner. Entrepreneurship, at its core, is about accepting responsibility and taking initiative. The word “entrepreneur” has less to do with launching a start-up, and more to do with an individual’s state of mind. It is a mind-set that views immense challenges as incredible opportunities to do good and to do well at the same time. It is about active citizenship.

Africa is changing for the better, because proactive, everyday people (often young people) with entrepreneurial mind-sets and skill-sets are driving that change. The rapid spread of information and communication technology, combined with a new understanding and ethic of entrepreneurship, that applies market principles towards solving social and systemic problems, is enabling a new generation to drive change from the bottom up. Across Africa, new talent is finding expression, new solutions are emerging, and new organizations are forming to meet the challenges of the 21^st century.

The South Africa – Washington International Program (SAWIP) is one example of this. SAWIP aims to inspire, develop, and support a diverse new generation of South African youth who will lead a sustainable democracy that provides a peaceful and prosperous future for all South Africans.

South Africa’s National Development Plan (which is South Africa’s 2030 vision) envisions a society characterised by reduced inequality and no poverty. In order to achieve this South Africa needs to, amongst other things, improve the quality of its education system (particularly primary and secondary schooling), and create more jobs.

To do these things, South Africa needs people who are entrepreneurially-minded, and have the skill-set to effect innovative solutions. This is the power of entrepreneurship in South Africa and across Africa: everyday people who pro-actively pursue their passion and effect social change in their context in innovative ways.

Social change frequently begins with a single entrepreneurial catalyst: one obsessive individual who identifies and accepts responsibility for a particular problem, envisions a new solution, and takes the initiative to act on that vision. South Africa, and Africa, has a plethora of these individuals.

Africa has come a long way from being the “Dark Continent” it was once considered to be. The 21^st century promises to be Africa’s entrepreneurial revolution.

Washington DC has a fair share of things to do, and a lot of places to visit; amongst such is a long list of Memorial Monuments. From Washington Monument and Lincoln Monument, to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and everything in-between, DC has got more sightseeing than an eye can dare see, and they all look mighty and glorious.

I hate boring you with details but it is necessary in painting the massiveness of these monuments; please allow me: The War Memorial for instance has 4 bronze columns that want to touch clouds, 4 bronze eagles and 1 bronze laurel within each pavilion, 24 bronze bas relief sculptures along the ceremonial entrance (12 on each side), 4,000 sculpted gold stars on the Freedom Wall, 112 bronze wreaths, 56 bronze ropes between the pillars I will not even try to describe the splendor of the Lincoln Memorial; our tour-guide jokingly said “this is a Temple of the American god, Lincoln.” That being the case there was an odd one out, “The Vietnam Memorial Monument.” The walls are sunk into the ground, with the earth behind them. The highest tip is only 3 meters high. The stone for the wall came from India, and was deliberately chosen because of its reflective quality.

This Monument honors the servicemen who went to support South Vietnam in a war that was not theirs to fight. They never got any support for the support they gave to South Vietnam and were highly criticized for part taking in this war which lead to a huge loss of life. “Those engraved in the black granite marble stone went to a land they never knew to fight for a people they never knew” our tour-guide said. It is said that one of the survivors of the Vietnam War was asked a question we would all want to ask anyone who fights for people they do not know nor related to…why do you even care? His response was “I oppose the war in Vietnam because I love America. I speak against it not in anger but in anxiety and sorrow in my heart, and above all with a passionate desire to see our beloved country stand as a moral example of the world.”

The mirror effect of the granite stone creates and harmonizing reflective space, as I looked at this long list of names, I realized that I was looking at myself, as much as I was looking at them I was looking at myself through them. I realized that the true measure of a men is not where he stands when times are comfortable for him, but where he stands when times are uncomfortable for his fellow-men, our worth is measured by our ability to stand against injustice even if we do not have to.

The words engraved in Martin Luther King JR. Monument came to life for me “ Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice anywhere, we are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny, whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. Alabama, 1963

Expectation is a vital component of any life experience, in the weeks leading up to the DC portion of the SAWIP experience we all began to develop many ideas of what to expect on arrival and throughout our time in D.C. Often the expectations of the team align itself as our individual vision and goals become shared.

Whilst many of our expectations are mutual, others differ (immensely) based on the different individuals within the team.

An example of the most basic shared expectation would be the expectation of both personal and professional growth whilst in DC.

An example of a unique expectation is evident in Lwamba’s extreme disappointment every time she turns a corner and Obama isn’t there to “Welcome his African sister to ‘Merica”.

It is not a bad thing to have expectations; it creates an environment where excitement and appreciation can build and where we are given time to focus on our desired outcomes, identifying exactly what it is we want to achieve.

Yet there are also many faults that lie within the foundations of having expectations. Expectations can be very limiting; they can narrow our experience instead of extending our opportunity for true growth. Often our expectations do not recognise time and so we set ourselves up to be disappointed if we have not experienced everything we had hoped in the first few hours.

Our expectations can also be limiting because sometimes the experience far surpasses anything we thought we would ever get the opportunity to see, hear and just be involved in.

Our experiences are drawn from many different sources; sometimes the expectation and the source differ. Essentially the SAWIP team is all on the same journey, yet we are all having different experiences. For some of us, it is the deep connection with our host parents or the amazing opportunities that present themselves at our internships. For others it is the team sessions or the one on one with our fellow teammates. For me, it is every second. From meeting the most wonderful and inspiring individuals to my morning walk to work past the White House.

Our expectations of people are also interesting to consider. Often, our most valuable or thought provoking discussions do not stem from those whom we expected to learn the most. This proves that like experiences, people should never be discounted. The most meaningful and transforming moments could be in the most unexpected place, being communicated by the most unexpected person.

It is not only my expectations I need to balance, but the expectations placed on me by both my team and the program. As important as it is to look inward it is also essential to look outward and show gratitude to all those that played a role in shaping my expectations and those that are currently contributing towards my experience.

I think the SAWIP experience is about taking it all in, learning to balance the expected and the unexpected as they fly at us, full speed. Making the most of every emotion felt, whether elation or deep personal reflection. There is no wasted experience, no experience that doesn’t contribute towards our growth, our knowledge and help build us as the people we all expect to return to South Africa.

So far SAWIP has not been what I had expected. It has been more, much more. I have been challenged more than I thought. I have never felt so inferior and at the same time I have never felt so empowered. I have never felt such an urgency to learn. I have reached levels of happiness and excitement that previously I had only experienced a few times.

This journey is really something special and so far SAWIP is everything.

The only expectation I now take with me every day is to truly take in each moment regardless of where it is, who I am with or how humid it is in Washington D.C.

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There have been many commentaries about the American culture in the blogs posted in recent weeks. I would like to carry on that theme but focus on what I miss about South Africa.

1. Slacks

In Washington D.C. there can be 40-degree heat (celcius) and people still head out in jeans and closed shoes. No one wears what they call “slacks”. In South Africa no summer is complete without a good ol’ plakkie tan! I don’t go a day without my havaianas in Stellenbosch during summer.

2. Fresh air

The luxury of having air-conditioning in every building, bus and bar results in no windows ever being open. While this keeps buildings cool and offices quiet, I’m not sure whether it is better than hearing birds chirp and the lively street talk that’s native to the Cape. This also has the obviously unintended effect of making any time spent outside feel like a walk on the surface of the sun. A walk from building to metro turns into a game of hopscotch between air-conditioned Starbucks coffee shops until there is reprieve on the train.

3. Milk

I’m not sure whether the dairy cow exists in the USA. Instead of the standard blue Clover 2 liter I was greeted by a thousand plastic mini-pots full of an unknown white substance referred to as “half-n-half”. If half-n-half is not your preference then you can have creamer, which unlike Creamora, comes in liquid form and is always flavoured. More shockingly creamer contains not even an udders-shot of milk.

4. J-walking

Obviously I’m well aware of the dangers of crossing the road at any place where cars aren’t explicitly told to stop moving, but there’s something that forcing citizens to move according to demarcated geometric routes that makes me feel like I’m in a George Orwell novel. I look left, right and left again so I expect the government to have some faith in my intelligence and if not that, then at least my survival instinct.

5. Laughter

Americans laugh, don’t get me wrong, but there’s something unique about the South African laugh. It's a kind of infectious belly-guffaw that that conjures images of Father Christmas on Christmas Eve or Jacob Zuma at his third wedding. It’s a hearty sincere expression of acceptance and good times that I haven’t seen equaled in the USA. At the very least, it’s better than the expression ‘that’s so funny!’.

You’re told you’ll miss the biltong, milk tart and Mrs. Balls but you really miss the other things. Besides the small life-style differences, what you really miss are the people. You miss your friends and family and the South Africa way of doing things. And at the precipice of receiving news of national importance, you miss being able to discuss and share in that news with those close to you.

I could keep on writing about what I consider as the anomalies of South African and US society for several blogs (and I undoubtedly will in my next one), but I thought that for tonight I would share my views on something a bit more serious and maybe a bit more tangible. The Snowden saga has the potential to turn into one of the biggest international relations headaches the US government has faced in the last few decades, and we happen to have front row seats.

At a very normative level it is a fantastic example of the trade-off between individual liberty and collective security. In order to protect you from the bad guys we need to search through all your data in order to make sure that it isn't you were looking for. We face this tradeoff on different points of the spectrum every day in countries all over the world. The classic example is that that of a police state which although very effective in promoting security, completely erodes individual freedom. The question then surely is to what point we must accept that we have a benign government acting in good faith.

Why Edward Snowden, a security contractor for the US government, did what he did in bringing to light the methods which the NSA were using to collect metadata on the communications between individuals, is doubtful at best. The media seems torn between portraying him as either a hero or a traitor, as if there is no middle ground. If he was seeking fame, or infamy he has certainly achieved it. If what he did was out of altruistic concern for the future of his country he sure did not choose a fantastic way if doing it. On some level he does not believe that the government was benign in their actions.

Snowden has 4 Laptops and several external hard drives or flash drives with him (according to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange). The US authorities and the worlds news agencies are essentially playing a game of where is Wally. Apparently he boarded a plane to Russia from Hong Kong on the way to either Venezuela or Ecuador. His seat was empty on the flight from Russia onwards which probably means he's still in Russia. When someone is carrying as much sensitive information as Snowden presumably is it makes sense not to let him go through international transfers and on his way. He presents an unique opportunity in the East-West power play.

Someone carrying a briefcase full of sensitive documents would be considered dangerous. Snowden potentially has hundreds of gigabytes if not terabytes of data with him. Assuming the average file ranges from a few hundred kilobytes to a megabyte or two Snoden is potentially carrying a million briefcases full of files. That amount of information was incomprehensible a few years ago. It further provoked it could turn into the wikileaks saga all over again.

I don't think Snowden is a traitor; I don't think he's a patriot either. There is an obvious irony in complaining about internet freedom and then running to China and Russia for assistance. He is a very misguided individual at best, on the most basic level he's an oath breaker. He swore to protect his nation, and then severely undermined that very same mission. Yet what he did is not only bad. We are yet to see the extent of what he has brought to light and the effects thereof. Many heroes were labelled traitors in their times. I guess it is up to history to decide the legacy of Ed Snowden.

I have managed to convince myself of two rather convenient sentiments. The first is that no new blogging chapter is complete without some good old ‘country-mouse-in-the-big-city’ scene-setting, hence this rather unsurprising blog. The second is that do I believe that dropping the ‘U’ is a necessary requirement for fewer red lines in text, (written) cultural integration and self-reflection.

When I first started writing this piece it was Thursday morning, 6 am DC time, 12 am SA time. I remember being wide awake and sitting at my host-mum Catherine’s chunky Dell in the kitchen trying to make myself stop for a second and recapture everything that had happened in the previous 24 hours.

We had arrived in DC almost exactly one day before. After confusing my left and right hand at the customs official’s counter; eating at least seven little Hershey’s chocolate bars and being so confused by the American coin system at Starbucks, that I gave the lady who served me, all of my silver coins in the hope that I would meet the 15% tip and not be judged too badly for foreign ignorance and poor form, I finally met my host-mum Catherine with a definite sigh of relief.

The experience reminded being little and running races at primary school. The finish line always seemed very far away. Perhaps this is because I was so small, or perhaps it was just because it seemed to take so long for me to get there. But, nevertheless, at the end of each nervous barefoot scramble, our parents would wait to catch us and scoop us up into their arms. On the day of my arrival, I had that similar feeling of childish finish-line-relief when I saw someone waiting for Sibahle and myself at the end of the long journey to DC.

Although our host-mum had already warned us about her mission to keep us awake in her fight against jet-lag, what she hadn’t warned us about, was that the first step to her contingency plan involved letting Siba and myself loose in the rather aptly named Giant grocery store, or just ‘the grocery’ as my local lingo know-how now tells me. I remember thinking that there had to be a rather accurately introspective American somewhere.

I grew up on a fruit farm (during my more athletic ‘racing’ days) and often wondered where all the good-looking fruit disappeared to. Now I know. It turns out that it goes to the Giants – a somewhat less accurate judgment now that I have seen so many joggers and trim individuals around here. But, back to the actual shopping experience - I now have reason to believe that Siba and I attempting to do grocery shopping for ourselves may be one of the more amusing things that ‘grocery’ has witnessed.

In fact, the whole exercise proved to be fantastic practice in conflict resolution, particularly after our argument about green and red apples, as well as decision-making under the pressure of choice and variety. Eventually we settled for some basic necessities: fresh cherries, berries, pecan nut ice cream, goats cheese, more cheese, and more, organic granola, not so organic 90 calorie Special K bars, Graham Crackers (that remind me fondly of my Grade 9 setwork novel, the Secret Life of Bees), some strange organic crisps that Siba chose, Oikos, Smuckers strawberry jam (to be eat with the eight tubs of organic peanut butter Catherine keeps handy), Cadbury chocolate, chocolate milk, Balsamic Vinegar (naturally) and some other fun things like flavored quinoa. Somehow, we didn’t find pop tarts, but fortunately Catherine had already stocked up.

The second part of Catherine’s strategy involved a tour of our new neighborhood. Driving through the Bethesda where (not so) little red brick houses and their wooden benches, flower beds and pastel colored doors and shutters interrupt the forest, had both Siba and myself feeling like we had stumbled into Hansel and Gretel central. And, if we weren’t already filled with the magic of this picturesque setting, I think seeing a rabbit hop across the front lawn when we arrived, certainly did the trick.

Finally, the day ended with us going out for pizza with Catherine and her daughter, to a wonderful Italian restaurant where in the kitchen old, closer to ‘giant’ Italian-looking men sat around a table tasting pizza, drinking red wine and playing poker behind a big glass window. Later that night we returned to homemade Red Velvet cake and Ella Fitzgerald, for our host mum’s twist on American birthday celebrations for South African girls.

Today, I am almost ten days into the program. Naturally, I have discovered profound differences in my experience of living in South Africa and living in the United States. My later pieces will reflect specifically on these. Yet, in titling this piece “Dropping the ‘U’ ”, not only did I aim to make reference to my chameleon-like approach to writing and using Spell Check in the states. But, on a deeper level, I hoped to reflect on my slow movement away from the motions of compulsive cultural ‘me vs. you’, ‘SA vs. USA’ comparisons or ‘othering’, to a point of feeling like for a short time, I am part of the city, and fooling the other city-goers who ask me for directions, of precisely that.

Homemade Red Velvet Birthday Cake made especially for Sibahle's 22nd Birthday

An illustration of the pastel prettiness of suburbia

Some of us often find ourselves trying to catch up in life. For adults it might be all about time management, but for scholars with the Higher Achievement Program at Kelly Miller Middle School, it's all about receiving better schooling.

The program is designed in such a way that it develops 5th to 8th grade learners from lower income areas in Washington D.C. through study hall, mentoring and the summer academy. The curriculum for the summer program focuses on advancing the learners scope of education to a level of excellence which will assist them on getting into great high schools.

Today was the first day that I met this years group of 7th grade scholars. I greeted them with such enthusiasm and by their response I could tell that they are not much different from South African 7th graders. Getting buy in from these learners is such a difficult part of the program. They realize that it is for the benefit to be in the summer academy but they are not entirely thrilled about it. The issue with public schools in lower income areas is that they are generally considered not nearly as good as public schools in higher income areas. We have been told that the public schooling system is depending on the property taxes of the area. Therefore, due to it being a lower income area, not much property tax is being paid and evidently there is a low investment in the public schools.

Another issue that could be considered as a hindrance to these scholars receiving the best education possible is that they are not allowed to attend schools outside their area of residence. Therefore, HAP attempts to counter the effects of this on the learners and giving them a better chance at getting into better high schools. The program has been successful in getting 95% of their scholars who graduate from the program into excellent high schools across D.C. and assisting them with applying for funding such as scholarships.

Although the public schooling systems in South Africa is different in that it is not dependent on property taxes, I do wish that there was such an amazing and advanced after school program and vacation school program in place, to assist learners who struggle in school. The program is also free for learners and depend solely on grants and personal donations to run. Most tutoring programs in South Africa are extremely expensive and almost non existent on 'lower income areas'. Throughout my schooling career I always saw education as the only way out of my circumstance and the only way that I could attain a better future than most youth in my area was to study hard.

Another important aspect of the program is that it not only concentrates on improving scholars academically but it also teaches them vital social skills such as self-awareness. They also equip scholars with leadership skills, responsibility, autonomy, confidence and teaches them the ability to reflect on their actions. Having the opportunity to observe the facilitators interact with the scholars and being able to assist them, made me realize that the only thing most of these scholars need is someone to invest time in them. I hope that the time that I spend with them can be something of value to them. I do not have much to offer except my experience as a youth and my struggles with academics. Their first activity for the day was to describe the attributes needed to be a part of a program such as HAP. They highlighted three important components for success: hard work, preparation and practice.

We received news on Sunday evening that Nelson Mandela is in a critical condition. Cara and I shared with each other how we feel as if we are losing someone that we know personally. Cara and I had both secretly wished that we'd have a chance to meet him one day.

As the reality of not having Madiba be alive sank in, one line kept ringing in my head: "HIS LEGACY LIVES ON". It is not just the legacy of Mandela, but of all those who worked with Mandela in the battle for freedom. Nelson Mandela is one of SA's stalwarts: I am where I am because of what the great leaders before me did for me. Some of the other great leaders we lost during the fight. They never had a chance to bask in the freedom they suffered for. It's harder to let go of Mandela now because he was one of the few heroes who did survive; he is the emblem of freedom South Africa could put a face to - Mandela was that living face of freedom. It's difficult now suddenly to imagine that face not living and breathing amongst us anymore.

Mandela fostered a fighting spirit within our nation & it still thrives today. Mandela and many other great leaders rose to the need prevailing at the time and served selflessly - even at the risk of death! So should we as current leaders serve whole-heartedly.

Today we face challenges that require selfless leaders to rise up to the challenge and fight no matter how long it takes. Our battle today is for freedom from poverty, inequality, sickness, violence, unemployment, abuse, etc. If freedom could be achieved in spite of the strong resistance our leaders faced in the past, then we can surely overcome everything as South Africans!

The first couple of words that come to mind when I hear the name Mandela are FREEDOM, INTEGRITY, HUMANITY - UBUNTU. This was his brand. Whether you have met him before or just seen him on TV or heard of him, his brand is familiar to us all. Mandela owned this brand and carried it through consistently. That is why the world recognises and respects him. What is your brand? What is my brand? "What do people associate my name with?" I ask myself. Would people want to foster the spirit I exude? Mandela is the brand all South Africans are proud to associate themselves with, regardless of what region of the world they are in. If each and every person had a brand and carried it through consistently, in spite of any resistance, the state of our nation would be completely different.

I feel like I owe SA's freedom fighters so much. Nelson Mandela was the one that lived in my generation and whom I could have had a chance to thank. Though I never met him, it feels like I'm losing a grandfather I love dearly. Though I never had a conversation with him, I feel like I could have laughed with him. Though he never even knew me, I feel like he cared for me - for my education, for my well-being, for my future.

Nelson Mandela is a person our entire nation shared in common. When he dies, we shall mourn together, and we shall heal together too.

I am sad that I am not in South Africa to commemorate his life. I am sad that I can't comfort my fellow South Africans back home. I am sad that I can't just vent and have conversations about SA history and hear the stories of old.

At the same time I am glad that I won't be swept up by all the weeping and speculation about SA’s future and also by all the media frenzy regarding Nelson Mandela’s state. At least I can go back to SA in four weeks time with a sound mind and the ability to empathise and support my nation constructively.

Nelson Mandela has left an indelible mark. This mark remains even when the penman is gone. So it is with Mandela: his signature is one that we shall continue to forge.

"Xolani bantu baseMzansi Afrika. Iqhawe maliphumle ngoxolo. Thina masiqhube phambili kunye. (South Africans, be at peace. Madiba our hero must rest. Let us move forward together!)"

We need to remember what our father has taught us. Thank you, Tat'u Rolihlahla Mandela. WE SHALL CONTINUE TO LIVE OUT OUR LEGACY OF FREEDOM...

From the past weeks I have heard the glooms and dooms of South Africa, America and other countries. I have come to understand the world as a place which has more problems than solutions. Worldwide most people discuss the problems than they discuss solutions. Which one is more important than the other? If a problem is not well discussed and understood it may not be solved, however discussing the problem too much hinders solutions. Which way to go?

In this regard we need individuals who “know how to think, not what to think” as once said by my team mate Cecil Lwana. When discussing our problems as nations we need to be more realistic than being optimistic. Being realistic comes with more practical solutions which is the only thing we need. This is to support and uplift the ideology of acting towards our problems as young emerging leaders. SAWIP is one of the few programs that promote the “act” than the “talk”.

At some point we leaders need to “see the world through the eyes of a child” We just have to be people who do not know better than the others, set our minds free from the world’s complications and accept what life gives us. If that would be possible there could be no many problems as we have at the present moment.

Most people are busy searching errors at others, mostly in political parties. Would that person do well once he is in power, because he is used on looking for errors not solving problems? That is one of the problems out of many that make some countries to have poor leadership. Once you are in a leading position you will do what you have been practicing while you were not promoted. This is a call to prepare and start our future roles in the means.

My teacher once taught me to start to be a scientist while I am at High School, then the Universities duty is only to make me a scientist by profession. We emerging leaders are starting to think as leaders so that when time comes to show the leadership skills we know how to think like leaders. This ideology has been instilled to me by the SAWIP and I can see it will make me a leader with a global perspective who will lead my community with integrity and humility.

When travelling, almost without fail, one not only gets a perspective into another culture, but also a new perspective on your own. This was one of the really interesting phenomena discussed at our last session before we left South Africa, a reverse gaze you get on your own culture. Every time I see something that works differently in Washington I ask myself the question why? Why does the system, the train, the cool drink work differently in South Africa? Is there any inherent reason this difference exists and is there something we can learn from it?

These differences occur on a large institutional scale, but also on an everyday scale in the smallest things. Every time one of the doors to the outside in my host families' house opens, an automated announcement commences informing the whole house which door just opened. Knowing the neighborhood we stay in it probably also isn't for security reasons. It's the smallest thing yet it is perplexing to me. Never have I seen a house in SA with this feature, even though it is really simple and probably easy to install.

I was watching a TV advertisement when one car company blatantly lambasted the a few similar companies ("This car is clearly better than the Camry. Toyota and Nissan never even saw it coming"). I almost wanted to switch the channel in protest (possibly the laziest form of protest imaginable), surely this isn't allowed? For some reason advertising regulations just differ between the two countries. When driving late at night on a big road you encounter very few red lights, only flickering orange ones. Apparently these mean that you are allowed to drive through with caution. You are also allowed to turn right (our left) at a red light. The eggs here are as white as a sheet of blank paper. These are all differences which can’t be explained by cultural reasons or socio-economic disparities. They are just small incremental differences in almost every sector of life.

These small differences mount up however. They become part of the institutions and conventions which dictate what we do and how we do it. History has taught us that like anything in life there are good and bad institutions. These can have a ripple effect despite the fact that they seem inconsequential. The English drive on the left side of the road because mounted soldiers used to wield their weapon in their right hand. This probably causes several deaths a year of people like myself who still can’t get used to first looking to the when crossing roads in DC.

The Americans spell words differently because Noah Webster decided that language should be simpler. Fortunately some of his more radical misspellings never caught on (such as “wimmen” for women). Inadvertently he made the English language even more complex than it ever was. Not only do we know have to cope with seemingly insensible grammar rules but also several different spellings of the same word. This led George Bernard Shaw to famously quip that: “The United States and Great Britain are two countries separated by a common language”.

The challenge will be to seek out those differences which have the most meaning and relevance for South Africa. People differ vastly but in the end we are all still people. Problems and their solutions are not exclusive to one people of country. Ultimately we are only here to learn.

More often than not, young people who have grown up in disadvantaged homes and who grew up under a spirit of lack, take on the seat that I like to call the victim seat. This means that they accept the fact that they are a victim of their past, that they were unfortunate enough to not have what everything that they needed. They accept the life in which they grew up in and make the decision whether consciously or subconsciously that this I how things are and this is how they will always be. They take the seat back and allow their peers, who grew up more privileged, get an education and go on to succeed and do great things with their lives.

What this youth then tends to do as they go into their adult life is that they develop an unhealthy sense of entitlement, and develop a mentality that the government is supposed to help them and that it is the job of the government to help them, feed them, house them and clothe them. This topic is very close to home and I can relate to a large extent to it.

Having grown up financially unfortunate, I understand that feeling sorry for yourself can be very easy, especially when you are surrounded by the privileged and the better haves. It’s very easy to allow yourself to feel inferior around people that have grown up in a more fortunate environment than you and at times you even start to feel they are somewhat smarter than you are, more able than you are, speak better than you do, present themselves better and so forth and you can end up in a mentality of thinking that you will never be like them.

I have felt like this on many occasions, and to this day, although I have gotten much better, I sometimes still do. What I have learnt through this, however, is that it will never get you anywhere. Feeling sorry for yourself is never going to help improve you as a person, all that it will do is make you feel self-conscious and not trust in your own abilities. This is never healthy, for anyone, regardless off the kind of life that they had. Allowing yourself to feel inferior will do nothing positive for you and it is not a position in which you would like to find yourself on any day.

What one needs to do instead is ‘take their seat’ as Glen Ackerman said. One needs to understand that they are just as smart, just as competent and just as capable as anyone else amongst their peers. This helps to not only help build a better self-esteem but to also make you more confident as to do better, perform better and when has more faith in their own capabilities, one is able to do above and beyond what is expected of them.

From someone who is often viewed as confident, outspoken and bold, yet still sometimes suufers from an inferiority complex, never allow yourself to feel inferior, under any circumstances. Always keep your head high and believe in who you are. Never be ashamed of where you come from and how you grew up. The things of the past only help educate you and sometimes build your character, they are never a boundary that should hinder you from experiences and from achieving your dreams. And not that I think about it, no one can ever make you feel inferior without your permission. Thus it is up to you whether or not you are going to feel inferior in the midst of others. Try to always believe in yourself.

To be quite frank, in this world, nobody actually wants to succeed because someone felt sorry for them, or because they were given some kind of hand-out. There is no value in that kind of success. Be strong and overcome your circumstances. Once you succeed that way, you will value your success.

NEVER TAKE THE VICTIM SEAT – it will only hinder you from greater things.

One of the greatest aspects of the experience of living in DC for these 6 weeks is where we stay. The host families who open their homes to us and invite us into their families for our time here are incredibly amazing people. They don't really know what sort of people we'll be before they meet us, they have our bios and email us once or twice before we walk into their homes when we land. Besides knowing our areas of interest and the fact that some of us have annoying dietary requirements (I mean who doesn't eat meat, right?), there are a host of unforeseen issues that may arise. Yet, here I am, writing this blog on the couch with my host mom and my host brother sitting across from me.

Patti, Jon and Sam are my family while I'm here. I keep telling everyone who will listen, how lucky I've been with my placement. This house is full of warmth and love. It feels like real people live here. That may sound strange but I've been to homes where people are sitting next to each other and it feels like the room is empty, where people are so preoccupied with their professions they can't be mentally/ emotionally present with their family.

Patti and Jon have made me feel so comfortable and at home in their home, that I've been forgetting to call my own parents. This feels so much like my own home right now. Sam is about 18 months old now, he is one of the most active one year olds I've ever seen. It took me about four hours from when I first met him, to get him to give me a high five and things have been fantastic since then. I play with him while Jon and Patti may be busy or if they're in need of a break. when I say he's active, it's an understatement, he's so active and resourceful, someone needs to be vigilant at all times. As Jon so proudly said yesterday, "he's all muscle," this little baby has about 1%baby fat, is SURPRISINGLY strong and has an impressive pitching arm.

Patti and Jon are of the youngest host parents we have on SAWIP, they are so easy to talk to, we laugh and enjoy our time together. Some other team members have a different dynamic with their host families, I'm sure that works for them but there's no one else I'd rather be living with than here.

We live in Silver Spring and although everyone else who lives in Montgomery County is relatively close by car, they're all on the opposite end of the red metro line. I soon noticed that when I'd make an announcement in the team about weekend maintenance work having an effect on this end of the metro line, it didn't mean anything to anyone but me. My living environment would be COMPLETELY different had been placed here with another SAWIPer and I'm really grateful I wasn't.

We're so busy all the time so I cherish the time I get to spend at home. Thank you Jon and Patti Pace for welcoming me into your family and also just for your general awesomeness. See when I get home tonight.

Here's a picture of the family at the baseball game this weekend.

Tonight, I am heavy-hearted: not being in South Africa in this time that South Africa (and the world) grapples with the inevitable and ostensibly imminent passing of Madiba is difficult. As South Africans, we should not selfishly hold on to Madiba, but allow him to journey on in peace.

In these gloomy days, I would like to be home with my fellow South Africans to thank Madiba for his contribution, mourn his passing, as well as celebrate and advance his legacy. Yet I recognise that it is because of the sacrifice of Madiba, and many others, that I am able to be in the USA at this moment.

On the occasion of the first anniversary of South Africa’s first democratic elections, Madiba said: “There is no short cut to the country of our dreams.” Each and every South African has an important role to play in ensuring that the country of our dreams becomes a reality for all who call South Africa home.

Madiba played his role in this effort. The truth is that Madiba is only one pebble on the beach, one of thousands; he is a very significant pebble, but a pebble all the same. His contribution and legacy serve as an inspiration and challenge to many to continue the work of nation-building in South Africa, and the attainment of the vision articulated in the preamble of the South African Constitution:

“We, the people of South Africa, Recognise the injustices of our past; Honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land; Respect those who have worked to build and develop our country; and Believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity. We, therefore, through our freely elected representatives, adopt this Constitution as the supreme law of the Republic so as to:

• Heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice, and fundamental human rights;
• Lay the foundations for a democratic and open society in which government is based on the will of the people and every citizen is equally protected by law;
• Improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person; and
• Build a united and democratic South Africa able to take its rightful place as a sovereign state in the family of nations.”

Thank you, Madiba, for your immense contribution to South Africa and to the world. We will continue the work to which you dedicated your life.

Last week, the SAWIP class of 2013 got to attend the annual Points of Light(POL) conference. The conference hosts more than 5,000 service leaders to learn and cultivate new ideas for service, discuss the challenges we all face and work together to create solutions through the power of people.

In the afternoon there were over 100 different sessions on different areas of community service and we could choose to attend whichever one we wanted. A lot of the team went to a session on social entrepreneurship, but myself and Olwethu ended up attending a session on Community Development.

Having been involved in a number of community development projects I wasn't too sure what to expect but I was really excited to learn as much as I could and see how they chose to approach certain issues in their own communities.

The two ladies who spoke to us were both from Florida and they started a community project called B.E.S.T community which stands for Build. Engage. Sustain and Transform. All the community projects in the are go through them and they have managed to get over 14 000 volunteers in the last years.

There was one project in particular that really inspired me which I thought would be relevant to us back in South Africa.

The initiative was called "Top Dogs". Kids from a rural community would spend +- 2 hours travelling to and from school every single day. One of the teachers saw this idle time as a great opportunity for kids to do some extra learning. Top Dogs is a bus tutoring program whereby the older kids on the bus tutor and mentor the younger kids whilst they are all on the way to school. They give each child a set of flashcards to learn and if they get a certain number right each time then they receive a star. Upon receiving 25 stars they are awarded with some sort of prize.

This has been hugely successful in their community and is easily adaptable to South Africa. There are bound to be hundreds of children around South Africa who take public transport to and from school and with enough man power this is definitely a potential initiative that is cost effective and easy to track and implement.

Will we wake up tomorrow to a world without Nelson Mandela? I believe this question is echoed by many, not only back home but also here in the USA and in the rest of the world. I feel honoured to be associated with this great man through my nationality. The last few days I have been writing notes on the metro into the city about my next blog, and the subject of nationality and identity often surfaced.

I am a young South African. My ancestry, going back to my great grandparents, is 1/8^th German, 2/8^ths Irish, and 5/8^ths Afrikaner. What it means to be a white South African, and particularly one that speaks Afrikaans as her mother tongue, is something most of the Americans I have interacted with here, have asked me. My usual response is that I am an African; that I am proud to be from South Africa, and that yes, I do wish to live on the continent for most of my life. Yet I feel I could elaborate on my identity somewhat. This past week I have read some essays by “young white Afrikaners”. I disagree with some of them and thought it best to add my 2 cents to the discussion, albeit for a different audience. I feel there is a need to diversify the voice of the modern Afrikaner.

I grew up in a family that encouraged questions and a curious nature. This meant I read quite a bit and spent hours talking, debating and listening to stories from anyone who’d tolerate me. I was never taught to disregard my culture or feel inferior based on government policies. A number of years ago I paged through a Dorling Kindersley book on cultures of the world. Upon finding the entry on the Afrikaners, the description did not match anyone I knew. Those I identify as my community, those in my micro system according to the Bronfenbrenner ecosystemic approach, those people that have shaped me, they were not Afrikaners by the DK definition. The Afrikaners close to me are not per definition nationalist and Calvinist above all else.

I believe it was Madiba that said once that everyone lost in apartheid. People did not know their countrymen and women. Our population lived in silos. In my experience, bridging the divides of the past is not always an easy task. Acknowledging the differences is an essential part of building new ways of interacting. In the SAWIP team there are many differences. I think it is important to be aware of them and to be open to what that means. Another part of that should include honouring those who have fought for our freedom. Not just the freedom of the millions of people who were excluded through legislation and at the hand of the police. I, the young, white Afrikaans-speaking South African, am also free today due to their efforts. And some of these fighters are and were Afrikaners.

If tomorrow were the day that marks the start of a world without Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, I am not disheartened by what it means for my identity. I am not concerned about continuing to enjoy my life in South Africa. I will mourn him as the father of my nation, whilst still being energised by the potential that will continue to live on. I believe that I form part of a culture that transcends the colour of our skin and tongue we speak to our grandmothers, that culture is marked by the intent to make a difference, to continue fighting for freedom, to have compassion and be open to hear one another’s stories. In the words of Madiba: “For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others”. I take up this challenge and I hope to be defined by these words.

Lanyard- A cord passed around the neck, shoulder, or wrist for holding a knife, whistle, or similar object.

The "similar object" in our context happens to be a small tag that we wear around our necks that lists our name, where we work, as well as the position we hold at our company.

Until now, I had assumed that the tag was where the most crucial information lied. Our name representative of who we are and often where we come from. Our company representing what we do and how we spend most of our time. And finally our position held, indicating our superiority or status where we actually work.

What I had never considered was the significance of the lanyard itself. The more events I have attended while in Washington D.C. the more I have realized that every event has a specific lanyard and each lanyard has a certain amount of power and status attached to it. Equally as interesting was that people wear lanyards from other events which are perceived as superior to all events that they attend.

Last week I was at an event where the General Manager of Eskom international was doing a talk on the power sector in Africa. Before the event started I noticed to men in front of me scanning each other and looking for a possible opportunity to begin networking.

The man on the left was wearing a dark green lanyard with the words "U.S. Open Championship" written in gold all across the lanyard. The man on the right was drawn to this and they had a 15 minute discussion about golf and who they think is the favorite to win the golf major this year. After a lot of jousting and promoting of each other's champions, the two men exchanged cards and said they would love to do lunch in the week.

The significance for me was that this lanyard acted as a means of communicating a common ground for the two men completely outside of the event they were both at and outside of the work that they both were involved with. It is clear that lanyards are very effective networking tools and if you are able to get your hands on the right ones then you will be a natural social magnetic force at a networking event.

I think it is time that we, as the SAWIP team, get some lanyards and use this tool as a means of spreading the news about our program and the awesome things we do.

SAWIP is an incredible programme, I realise that more and more from the people we interact with on a daily basis while we're here in DC.

Two days in, we sat down with Glen Ackerman. Glen runs Ackerman & Brown, the largest LGBT law firm in the United States, he also happens to be neighbours with SAWIP on the 2nd floor of our building on Connecticut Ave. The intention was to have Glen talk to us for about 8 minutes on the legal dos and don'ts of life in DC. This session ended up lasting 2 hours.

Glen gave us an opportunity to just talk, something we as a team grabbed with both hands. The conversation started with the legal consequences of getting on the wrong side of the law while we're in DC and went on to discuss everything from the Affirmative Action laws in front of the Supreme Court right now, the rights and laws related to Native Americans, LGBT rights and gay marriage to the US's ability to minimise the discrepancies in access to quality education according to household income, just to name a few.

Glen has been one of the greatest non-SAWIP support we as a team have had while we've been here. He's made it abundantly clear that we call his cell if we have any issues at whatever time of the day (which we of course hope we'll never need to do). He has met with many of us individually and given us access to his extensive network. He's invited members of the team to gala events where their area of interest is the focus, to courtroom proceedings should there be cases that are of particular interest to us, and put us into contact with people in our disciplines. In fact, yesterday I heard that he’s been instrumental in getting our new University of Pretoria students work placements for the short time that they’re here too. He does all of this because he believes so completely in the programme and in us.

In that session, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, having just landed in this "brave new land" He brought us down to earth. We asked him how he'd achieved what he had in his life. His answer was simple and I'll remember it for the rest of my life. He said, "Take your seat." He explained how people may develop a victimized complex because they may become marginalised through the "boy's world" or corporate America. This taking your career into your own hands had been the key to him succeeding.

Each of us have a reason we’re in DC. We also know exactly what we each want to achieve while we’re here. I spoke to a couple of my team members and I think the older members of the team who are closer to leaving student life have a clearer understanding of what they want to accomplish with this opportunity. I think many of us were a little less sure of how to accomplish that in the big bad idea of what corporate America was. Glen’s talk gave many of us the “chutzpah” to brazenly do what we came to do. I truly appreciate it, especially so early in the trip. It encouraged me to be very vocal in times where I may have felt I’m not qualified to make a statement. It’s also made me a lot more direct in my networking and has, in just a week, gifted me lunch meetings and coffees with various people which will I am sure will be invaluable relationships to cultivate.

I guess this post, is just a small thank you to Glen. He probably may never read this but whoever does, should know what effect this one man’s words have had on a group of 15 South African leaders.

Work exposure has been the most profound experience I have ever had in my life. At the moment I am being exposed at the John Snow Incorporated, working within a Supply Chain Management System project. This company has a vision of improving the health of individuals and communities around the world. The company is visible and yet helpful throughout the world, it has touched lives of many children and adults more especially in Africa.

As an individual who has been involved in HIV/AIDS related programs, this experience will enhance me with more flexible ways that we Africans can employ to improve our health system. Through this opportunity I have realized that caring about someone’s health is the same as caring for your own health since diseases of our days are quickly infecting without necessary physical contact. The company works by planning projects to prevent many types of diseases since prevention is much better than curing.

At this point in time I have come to understand the flow of medication through Africa and other countries. The Supply Chain Management system project deals with the stork and delivery of pharmaceutical products in different countries. In South Africa in particular the road infrastructure is a problem for pharmaceutical products delivery, more especially in rainy seasons. The lack of medicine management is also a contributing factor to the South Africa’s health sector. At least now I have a clear understanding of what happened when patients are not receiving their medicine.

At the moment I and my team member we are working on a presentation of the Supply chain Management which at a later stage we would love to publish to all the other public health sectors in South Africa. The presentation basically outlines the basic knowledge each pharmaceutical product manager should employ to enhance fast and effective medicine delivery across the country.

The other work we do at the JSI is to edit the Xhosa teen talks about the HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention. This is helpful because while editing we gain new knowledge about staying healthy when you are infected. This information we can use it to alert our family and friends who lives with the virus. To us it is even an honor to be trusted on editing documents of such a big company.

We are always open to any new ideas that will make our country a better place to live in. This experience has reminded me how important health is to us as people. Every day comes with new opportunities here in Washington; we are trying by all means to take advantage of these opportunities so that we can go home with something in hand for the welfare of others.

While in DC……………………………………………….

Today we were invited to attend an “industry symposium” in the city centre titled “Innovation for Competitive Economies”. Hosted by the South African Embassy in Washington, the focus was on the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) program, a massive international investment program which will result in the world’s most sensitive radio telescope being built in South Africa. Besides it’s ability to delve into the mysteries of space quicker and deeper than ever before, the program has been sold as a driver of South Africa’s expansion in science and technology and plays a key role in moving towards what the Minister of Science and Technology, Derek Hanekom, spoke about in his keynote address at the event: moving South Africa towards a knowledge economy.

This struck me as strange. Back in South Africa the idea of a technology science revolution makes few headlines. They’re there, but newspapers at home are concerned primarily with the government and public service delivery, what’s happening between business and labour, sport. Yet here we are, watching our country being branded in a very specific way by our ambassador and minister; if I relied only on what little news of the country reaches me here and on what I heard at this event I would think of South Africa as a place with problems but one that is heading in the right direction. I would think that the country, although suffering from unfortunately low levels of growth, is progressing nicely and moving up the value chain. I fear that the picture painted here is too rosy.

I sat and listened and it took me back to my younger days, reminded me of a certain political/diplomacy theory I learnt in some class I took (and what Wikipedia was quick to refresh me on). The logic of two-level games was developed by a gentleman named Robert Putnam and his theory looks at negotiations between different countries (namely, democracies). The idea is that diplomats and/or politicians have to negotiate at a domestic level with their constituents (building coalitions and manoeuvring among concerns within their local society) and at an international level with representatives of other governments (building country ties and positioning their countries in different ways). These executive members try and implement domestic concerns at an international level without compromising their coalitions at home; they basically try and get the best deal internationally that they can without upsetting too many people at home. If they promise another country something unrealistic, for example, it may be difficult to go back to their voters to try and sell it to them. The theory goes further, in that the more support they have domestically, the more credible their international commitments may be, and vice versa.

The USA is a good example of how this plays out in reality; anything President Obama promises on an international stage is placed under intense scrutiny in Congress and the difficulty he has ratifying anything at home impacts heavily on his foreign policy abroad (interestingly, this may make his foreign policy increasingly limited, but more credible).

I listened to our Minister selling South Africa as a future knowledge and technology innovation leader and it rang similarly in my ears with what Ambassador Rassool spoke about before him as well as to us a few nights previously: South Africa has the best banks, the best universities, the best consultancies, the best research centres, the best services on the continent. But our domestic situation is not captured properly by this: we have an economy with a strong ‘1^st world’ economic bias towards these strong and established industries described above (including stringent labour laws), but that is situated in a ‘3^rd world’ society that has little human capital, large amounts of unskilled labour and high levels of economic and social poverty. I may have made the distinction too clear cut but there is a perception that the business environment is weak and faith in the government is lacking.

The past month has seen major civil protests, some of them wide-ranging, in Turkey and Brazil, two developing countries with positive recent track records. In fact, in the last decade, Brazil seen the most sustained rise in living standards in its history, youth unemployment is at an all time low and its immigrant population – often scapegoats for public anger – is tiny (0.5% of the population). To sell South Africa as moving in the direction described earlier fails to acknowledge the realities back home which are almost the opposite to this; unemployment, particularly amongst the youth is high; human capital and skills are low, living standards are low and only slowly improving; racial divides are still strong, and immigrants have been subjected to brutal treatment by locals.

We are told to be ambassadors for our country in this Capital of the world and this forces me to think of what it is I am trying to represent. It has left me wondering whether the South Africa that we are seeking to represent here in Washington accurately reflects the realities back home, or whether, as my man Putnam might say, that what we are trying to sell to international investors and to the world at large is something people at home won’t buy.