Samkelo Ntobeko Vukani Mngadi says he didn’t go after the convocation presidency to collect another title. He wants convocation to stop being a background structure and to become an active, useful part of Rhodes University life. Grocott’s Mail had a chat with Mngadi to find out what being the newly-elected convocation president means to him. Phila-Nathi Mapisa reports.
“My vision is about visibility and making convocation an active space,” he told Grocott’s Mail. “A lot of young alumni don’t even know they have a voice after graduation.”
Mngadi, who graduated from Rhodes with an MA in history in 2022 and is registered for a PhD at Unisa, brings student leadership to the role: he was SRC president in 2019 and has held residence and tutoring posts dating back to 2015. He also serves on the advisory board of the Uyinene Mrwetyana Foundation and lectures in history at Unisa.
His move into convocation follows a period of reflection during his master’s studies, when the death of a student prompted questions about responsibility and community. “That experience cemented in me the need to do something that makes the world better for young people,” he said.
Mngadi stresses that the convocation presidency is largely advisory. That means working with university offices, the vice-chancellor’s office, alumni relations, the registrar, to open channels and translate alumni energy into concrete support for students. He said his priorities for his presidency are: visibility, proactive engagement, collaboration with alumni bodies, and using digital platforms to reach younger graduates.
He wants to build on existing scholarship work while expanding who contributes. Rhodes already has UK and US trusts; he wants to start a conversation about an African trust. “There are huge communities of Rhodes alumni across the continent,” he says. “They can mobilise bursaries and mentorship from where they are in the world. It’s about tapping resources where alumni are living now.”
Because accessibility is important to him, Mngadi plans to use his personal social accounts rather than a faceless page, “so people can find me and engage directly,” he said. He has also set up a verified Instagram account: @Ntobeko_Mngadi. He believes younger alumni respond to straightforward, accessible channels and that alumni who can’t give financially often have networks and skills that are equally useful to recent graduates.
But in his efforts to draw in young alumni, he says, he also intends to respect older alumni. “Convocation must be inclusive; the graduate from the 1970s and the graduate from 2024 should both be recognised.” He explains that all Rhodes University alumni are connected through shared experiences. From all over the country, continent and the world, every single one, came down to Makhanda, for a Rhodes University degree, and that alone is enough to connect them.
Mngadi says, “Leadership is more than just about titles, multiple qualifications or how long you have served in one particular position. It’s about the heart for the people you want to serve. There will never be a perfect time or a perfect position. Look at me, I am just a student who seized an opportunity… to my young people, do not wait for the perfect moment or to be well-established. If you believe you can serve, then seize that moment and raise your hand and say, ‘Yes, send me!’”
