|
Nhlanhla Dlamini proves that with the attitude of a winner and a lot of hard work, dreams do indeed come true. The young Joburger is soon off to Britain as a Rhodes Scholar.
Nhlanhla Dlamini: dreams do come true - with the attitude of a winner and hard work
WITH a laudable academic and sports record, the winner of the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University, 23-year-old Soweto-born Nhlanhla Dlamini, has the world at his feet.
Dlamini was recently selected from a host of candidates in Gauteng, North-West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga to study for a Masters degree in African studies at the prestigious British university.
Sitting in a café at the busy Rosebank Mall, Dlamini could be any young man having a good time on a rainy Saturday afternoon. But when he opens his mouth and starts speaking, the courteous young man's sharp mind is instantly evident.
Sipping a cappuccino, the well-spoken Dlamini says he is completely overwhelmed with the accolade. "I am grateful to all those who influenced me and contributed to making me the person I am today."
The Rhodes Scholarships, the oldest international fellowships, were initiated after the death of the British-South African statesman, Cecil John Rhodes, in 1902. They are awarded to outstanding students worldwide, all of whom have to go through a stringent selection process. The selection criteria focus on the overall attributes of individuals, including their leadership capabilities, their commitment to social and community development and their involvement in sports.
Born in Mofolo, Soweto, Dlamini's family relocated to a "white suburb" in the south of Johannesburg when he was seven years old, paving his entrance into a multiracial school. He says the move came with a host of challenges.
"Beyond the challenges of acculturation, both my parents were also retrenched from their jobs in the early 1990s, resulting in significant financial woes for my family. I was convinced at the time that my family and I were resigned to a life of hardship."
However, things changed in 1992 when Dlamini won his first award - for being the most conscientious learner at his school.
"It became clear to me that night that with even small opportunities and a little hard work, people can ultimately start changing their trajectory in life. For the next nine years of my schooling, my hunger for achievement served as my main motivation, and also my shield from reality when needed."
That small award paved the way to bigger achievements; Dlamini matriculated from Marist Brothers College, in Linmeyer, at the top of his class in 2001, with five distinctions and full academic colours, collecting several key awards along the way.
Besides wanting to be the first person in his extended family to go to university, Dlamini says he strived to come out tops in all his studies. Not even receiving more than 20 rejection letters from university bursary donors could dampen his will to succeed.
"In spite of being born in a four-roomed house in Mofolo, I wanted to travel, experience different ways of life and widen my horizons of opportunities. I even wanted to break world records with my friends and peers."
In 2004 Dlamini graduated cum laude from the University of the Witwatersrand with a first-class Bachelor of commerce degree in information systems. During his time at Wits, he made it on to the Dean's Merit List every year and was the University Council's Academic Merit Scholar from 2002 to 2004.
Dlamini was also awarded the Golden Key/Ford Motor Company Scholarship in 2003 for his outstanding academic achievement. In 2005, he graduated with a postgraduate diploma in management, again cum laude, from the Wits Business School.
Besides his academic achievements, Dlamini has also fared well in the sporting arena. He was the captain of the Wits Rugby Club, under 19A, and represented the university at the SASSU University Games in the under 20 squad in 2002. He played rugby, soccer, basketball and tennis at school and he holds a national silver medal in martial arts.
At present an analyst at McKinsey & Company, Dlamini is also involved in numerous arts and culture projects which he believes, like sports, serve as a platform for integration in South Africa, documenting contemporary history and allowing for communication and understanding among people.
As a student, Dlamini represented Wits at various cultural and student leadership forums, including the Abe Bailey Bursary to the United Kingdom and the Goldman Sachs Global Leaders Institute in New York. In 2001 he was the chairman of management in the Johannesburg Junior Council, where he focused on school community projects.
"I focused on arts and culture, sports and youth awareness campaigns. Unfortunately, I only managed to be part of the Junior Council for a year."
Dlamini admits that he is a philanthropist by nature. "All my life I have focused on two basic goals - being happy and striving to ensure that the people around me are happy. I have realised that to make South Africa work, we must not leave the job to the government. I believe that individuals must go into the community and start building from the youth."
He believes that the there is so much "power" that the youth possess. "I am involved with NGOs, including International Training in Communication (ITC) [a voluntary organisation where members in 22 countries pledge to achieve 'greater understanding' throughout the world] that conduct various youth development programmes in the townships around Joburg."
Dlamini is passionate about youth development and laments the attitude of youths in terms of developing themselves academically and economically. He says hard work can open many doors to success.
"I also lived in the same environment as most youth in Soweto but I set myself goals and had a clear idea of what I wanted to achieve in life. I believe the youth of today do not have many role models that they can look up to."
His favourite programme on television is Zola 7, a show dedicated to making people's dreams come true.
Dlamini says he will start his Masters degree in African studies at Oxford University late in 2008. In the meantime, he has volunteered through Habitat for Humanity to do some education work in Central America, starting in March 2008.
"After my studies at Oxford University and my experience in the working world, I intend to channel my knowledge, resources and skills to play an enabling role in the development sector on the continent. I believe that we all have a moral responsibility to our fellow human beings and I intend to harness the opportunities that I have been afforded in order to assist those less fortunate in Africa."
Other Rhodes Scholars are the former US president Bill Clinton, writer and philosopher Edward de Bono, and singer and actor Kris Kristofferson. The first black South African scholar was Loyiso Nongxa – the first black vice-chancellor of the University of the Witwatersrand. Businessman Julian Ogilvie-Thompson and Judge Edwin Cameron were also South African Rhodes Scholars.
Related stories:
|
