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Amanda Luxande MSc in Environment and Development Amanda studied a BSc degree and majored in Zoology and Ecology at the University of Cape Town. Between theoretical studies she has been engaging with key global environmental issues through her internships at the South African National Biodiversity Institute in the field of conservation planning as well as the Department of Water Affairs in aquatic resource protection. Amanda believes that a degree in Environment and Development will equip her with the necessary skills to contribute towards the achievement of sustainability for environmental resource use in the promotion of socio-economic development in South Africa. "Natural resources are crucial for the development of the South African society and the upliftment of its livelihood." she said. Ramesh Dass MPhil in Bioscience Enterprise. Being awarded the Nelson Mandela Scholarship has made Ramesh's dream of studying abroad an honored reality. At the end of his final year of study at medical school, Ramesh Dass was awarded the Abe Bailey Travel Scholarship to tour England and Scotland where he got a chance to visit the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Ramesh believes he has a role to play in improving medical services in South Africa. "I am committed to South Africa and its healthcare. Much needs to be done to correct the mistakes of the past, strengthen the present and provide for the future health and growth of our great country and its people," he said. Sthembiso Phakathi MPhil "If you can imagine you can achieve," says Sthembiso Phakathi whose dedication and love for his community inspires him to provide part-time lectures and tutorials in Business Development Studies in disadvantaged areas. He completed a diploma in Mechanical Engineering at Mangosuthu Technikon in 1994 and went on to study Management Development through University of South Africa Business School. He subsequently completed his MBA in Innovation, Creativity and Change through UNISA. Sthembiso wants to use his Nelson Mandela Scholarship to study a Master of Philosophy in Innovation, Strategy and Organisation. He feels that it would be good preparation for his PHD. "I have always had the passion to learn about the organisational climate of other countries, specifically in the business environment." He has served in different consortia and management boards and has contributed in restructuring many organisations. He believes that the organisational structures and systems of the UK economy are ideal for his further studies and research. "I seek to understand organisational restructuring as well as renewal strategies and to use various systems and processes to develop ideas and manage innovation so that I can help develop a more creative climate in my organisation and entire society." Ravi Govender Masters in International Health Policy Ravi Govender has not let his severe stutter stand in the way of his goal - through hard work and perseverance he has battled to overcome it. "I may never overcome the speech defect completely, but I have not allowed it to affect my daily life." He is passionate about Public Health and Social Policy and wants to use his Nelson Mandela Scholarship to study for a Masters in International Health policy. He completed his MbChB Medical Degree at the University of Cape Town and believes that a Masters would develop his skills and knowledge to move from a clinical background into a career in Public Health. He would like to enroll at The London School of Economics as it would be a dream come true to study at a world-famous school with the brightest minds in the field. Policy study in South Africa is still a very new field. Ravi believes that by funding students to study in the UK, "we are creating a knowledge and skills base for this field in South Africa and thus investing in future academic training". "There needs to be a rethink of health strategies for the African context and for these strategies to work and be taken seriously, we need strategists and policy makers with world-class training and commitment to Africa. Ravi co-founded the ReachOut programme, which involves students providing one-on-one tutorials to grade 10-12 learners in Gugulethu schools. Picture not available Derrick Grootboom LLM in Human Rights and International Law Incarcerated on Robben Island as a political prisoner at the age of 18, Derrick says that his greatest achievement was to "oppose apartheid and to venture where others dared not to walk because I believed in justice and its eventual triumph over oppression." Against all odds he completed his matric in prison and later went on to attain a B Juris Degree at the University of the Western Cape in 2000. Turning history on its head, he later returned to Robben Island and worked as a tour guide. He is currently working at the Department of Justice and has established a name for himself as a dynamic prosecutor at district and regional court level. He wants to improve on this at a higher level and feels that his studies abroad would help him achieve this. Derrick wants to use his Nelson Mandela Scholarship to study an LLM in Human Rights and International Law. "I would like to equip myself with the necessary knowledge and abilities to effectively prosecute abuse of power by governments and to build and contribute to an era of peace and friendship in my country, the continent of Africa and the world at large. "I am at my best when it comes to protecting those who suffer abuse of power." Yonella Titi MBA Many previously disadvantaged professionals who have started their own businesses have failed due to lack of skills or understanding of financing, maintaining the business after initial start-up or legalities such as tax. "My aim is to start a consultancy company that would focus on coaching entrepreneurs and analysing their business needs. I also plan to offer a 'business rescue function' to entities that are failing." Presently this business rescue function is not regulated or widely practised in South Africa. "It is a field that will require expertise on reasons for past performance and applying methods of rescue. "An MBA will complement my existing qualifications and experience to be in a position to fulfil this role." As well as a BCom (Law) from University of South Africa, Yonella has obtained various certificates and diplomas in law, banking law, risk management and corporate governance. She began her career as a candidate attorney before moving into the banking industry in a legal advisory and management capacity. Collins Makhado MBA; Strategy in Finance While studying for his MBA in Strategy and Finance, Collins Makhado will have the opportunity to study strategy development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation at the London Metropolitan Police Department. He will bring this knowledge and experience back home to the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD). "The metropolitan policing environment in South Africa is still in its infancy, with the success of these institutions depending largely on the calibre of top management and leadership," he said. "Given the opportunity, I can make valuable contributions towards the success of the JPMD and ultimately the City of Johannesburg to situate it as a world-class African city. "As safety and security are key considerations for capital investment in the City of Johannesburg, the role of both the JPMD and the City are pivotal and inseparable in economic regeneration. "9/11 and the more recent attacks on London have alerted the security sector to the heightened importance of strategic preparedness to be harnessed and sharpened." Before joining the JMPD, Collins was a Partner at Manto Management Consulting. Collins obtained a BCom from Oxford Brookes University. Kavita Chibba Masters in Forensic Anthropology Many of the victims of the apartheid era were buried in graves without identification. In the process of healing, professionals are needed to uncover and put to rest the deceased loved ones of grieving family members. Instead of hiring foreigners to do the job, Kavita Chibba believes skilled South African forensic anthropologists are desperately needed to conduct this work which will assist in closure for thousands of South Africans. "With the opportunities made available with this scholarship, I can be trained in this field and return to my country to share the important knowledge and skills." Kavita obtained a BSc Honours in Anatomy from the University of the Witwatersrand in 2005. She is eagerly looking forward to the opportunity to study abroad and return to a career in forensic anthropology. Mandisa Korri MA in Speech-Language Pathology, Birmingham University Mandisa Korri is a woman on a mission in the telecommunication sector, which she believes is the fastest growing sector in South Africa and the world. "There is a shortage of highly skilled marketing telecommunication specialists from disadvantaged African communities. "Given my experience and the acquirement of an MBA, I will be able to contribute to the development needs of South Africa by providing global marketing expertise as well as grow the job market as I plan to open a marketing consultancy specialising in telecommunication." Mandisa plans to use her MBA knowledge and skills at MTN where she is a senior manager in public relations and internal communications. During her time at MTN and previous work at Nokia, she has been involved in many successful marketing campaigns.She also has extensive community work experience, focusing on youth leadership skills. She obtained a BA from the University of the Witwatersrand in 1990 and a management development diploma from Damelin in 1994. Nazia Peer LLM; Medical Practice As a community service doctor working in the South African Defence Force, Nazia Peer believes that a postgraduate course in the legal aspects of medical practice would provide her with the skills and expertise to play a valuable role in improving current policies and regulations in the medical field. "Being a Muslim and a South African, I've realised the need for equality, especially in health care practice." She says that studying through the Medical University of South Africa, working at King Edward VIII Hospital and working for the Defence Force has ignited her passion to tackle the misconduct in patient rights through the medico-legal field. The postgraduate course at the University of Cardiff in Wales will allow her the opportunity to fulfill her goal. She intends to highlight the rights of the patient, doctor and health department in the broad health care system. "We need to learn, adopt and implement ideas from our western and more experienced counterparts while remaining grounded in our South African identity." She believes that South Africa needs to introduce a more accountable health service system that will protect the patient and doctor alike. Nazia is also the author of "Salaamat", a family orientated fiction about a South African Indian Muslim family and the challenges they face because of their religious faith. Josephine Malala Masters in Cultural Studies South Africa is suffering a cultural identity crisis and needs a cultural understanding of itself, according to Josephine Malaya. She believes that it is time for South Africa to understand and define itself culturally as for far too long we have relied on the definition that the West has of South Africa and have defined ourselves accordingly. After studying for a Masters in Anthropology and Cultural Studies, Josephine wants to use her knowledge and experience to contribute to social development of South Africa and to establish a strong network of scientists and developers to unite in rebuilding and transformation of the country. Josephine completed a BA Honours in Social Anthropology at the University of the Witwatersrand in 2002. She has worked at Sociology of Work Unit (SWOP), the Medical Research Council and Zitholele Consulting on a range of research and projects. She is currently an independent researcher. Josephine is passionate about gender and has focused on women's health research. She has published her work and presented a paper at an International AIDS Conference, an achievement of which she is extremely proud. Dean Govender MBA Entrepreneurship is one of the greatest challenges facing South Africa. The legacy of apartheid has skewed the job market to such an extent that black South Africans have not been encouraged to think creatively which is vital to entrepreneurship. So believes Dean Govender, who plans to use his MBA to eventually start his own biotechnology business. He argues that biotechnology is the next revolution, after the computer age, sweeping through society. "South Africa jumped on the bandwagon when the government initiated business incubators devoted to biotechnology. But there are very few role models in the life sciences and engineering disciplines." Dean is currently working for Sasol as a business analyst and says this is an ideal environment in which to hone his skills and apply the theoretical knowledge which he will gain abroad. "This division is responsible for producing new ideas and processes that require thorough research and economic evaluations. The experience gained here will serve me well in starting my own business." Dean attained a BSC (Eng) Chemical from the then University of Natal in 2001 and a Certificate in Programme in Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management from University of South Africa in 2004. Steven Mavundla MSc in Management in Strategy Entrepreneurship is one of the greatest challenges facing South Africa. The legacy of apartheid has skewed the job market to such an extent that black South Africans have not been encouraged to think creatively which is vital to entrepreneurship. So believes Dean Govender, who plans to use his MBA to eventually start his own biotechnology business. He argues that biotechnology is the next revolution, after the computer age, sweeping through society. From the first year of high school, computers were Steven Mavundla's passion. He dreamed of having the opportunity to study further after school but was unable to raise the finances to go to university. Two years after matriculating, he got his lucky break when he saw a newspaper advertisement for a student loan to study computer science. His grades were good enough to obtain the loan and he attained a BSc (Computer Science) from the University of Zululand in 2002. He currently works as a Business Integrator/Project Manager at First National Bank. Believing he needed to give back, Steven started a Life Skills and Mentorship programme for which he has managed to obtain funding and premises. "The main aim of the programme is to give hope and support to township learners who like me did not have anyone to look up to or from whom to learn simple skills, like communication, at high school level." Steven has his eyes set now on an MSc specialising in strategy which, he says, will equip him with the theoretical and strategic edge to advance his career in IT and business. "Over and above the career opportunities, I will be able to enhance the current running of the Life Skills and Mentorship programmes for the benefit of the youth of South Africa."