From left, Wensley Jackson and Andiswa Landingwe (Engagement Office), Oyama Soga, Stembiso Mbewana, Liselihle Tize (Engagement Office), Mpumi Odolo, Chief Mvelile Mfunda, Themba Mahuwa, Dr Bruce Damons (Engagement Office), Nokuthile Ximiye; Thandiwe Magalela, Vuyokazi Dlamini and Mike Pantsi.
Collaborating with Gqeberha communities, the leaders address social challenges, such as crime and violence by leveraging sports, arts, culture, and heritage for youth and community development.
The organisation creates cultural and historical engagement platforms, addressing identity crises through storytelling and establishing eco-schools to respond to climate change.
Director of the Engagement Office, Dr Bruce Damons, welcomed the initiative’s programmes to Mandela University and shared insights of the Engagement Office philosophy highlighting the social benefit and importance of collaboration and partnerships with the University community.
The Engagement Office is excited to collaborate with the NMBTL through the Hubs of Convergence under Hub 7: Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS), working together to address various challenges faced by communities in Nelson Mandela Bay.
Following an interactive workshop with NMBTL members, a pilot project was established, focusing on four main pillars, namely Education, Health, Sports Arts and Culture – Tourism and Environment.
This project comprises a working group, a core group, and a project team. The workshop concluded with Mandela University and the NMBTL signing a Joint Development Agreement to activate the pilot projects.