Chairperson’s report
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SA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2010 - 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME ALUMNI ASSOCIATION-RSA (IFRAA-RSA) NORTHERN REGION WORKSHOP REPORT 36 NORTHERN REGION WORKSHOP REPORT 37 CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT The year 2010 will long be remembered as the time South Africa showed the world what it was capable of. The spirit surrounding the 2010 FIFA World Cup brought welcome relief to some of the most challenging social justice conditions in living memory - and the International Fellowship Alumni Association –RSA (IFPAA-RSA) was there. Meanwhile the year 2011 was characteristic of major political changes in the African continent. A wave of protests resulted in popular uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya. It is clear that issues of social justice played a significant role in the transformation of these countries. Following a very successful strategic planning session in May 2010 EXCO wasted no time in redirecting the core mandate of the Association as enshrined in its new vision statement,
IFPAA -RSA is today a streamlined organization with an operational plan focussing on its core activities, and delivering on its strategic intentions for the benefit of all stakeholders. For the funding agency in New York, this is evident in the prudent management of the finances thanks to the African American Institute the administrating agency for the Association in South Africa. For other stakeholders, our unfolding strategy lies more in the solid progress in developing the full potential of our Alumni, who in turn strive towards uplifting communities by addressing different social justice issues. A robust skills pipeline is central to IFPAA –RSA’s continued success and our competitive edge depends on the depth and breadth of our skills and talent. Through a process of decentralisation, the Association embarked on inward workshops held in the four newly established regions. The main objective was to establish long standing bonds amongst EXCO and alumni and to enhance the skills of alumni and build capacity within the organisation. Although each workshop assumed its own regional autonomy the main focus at the workshops centred on:
By investing in the continuous development and growth of its Alumni, IFPAA -RSA can ensure a ready supply of people at different leadership levels; people who match the academic culture and have the innovative and entrepreneurial skills central to the Ford Foundation International Fellowship Programme brand. A Resource Manual has been prepared to assist Alumni to cope with the many challenges that confront researchers and post graduates in a very demanding academic environment. My fellow EXCO members are a ready source of insight and counsel. We also deeply appreciate the role of Ford Foundation IFP as custodians of the strategy driving our growth and sustainability. We want to assure you that your investment in the Association has undoubtedly yielded the desired returns. On a personal note the period under review has resulted in what can best be described as a consolidation of our efforts over the past two years in strengthening our association by a unified team. I would like to take this opportunity in thanking the team including all executive members and all other Alumni who have contributed in so many different ways to our success. Dr. Rajendran T Govender Chairperson – IFPAA (RSA)
BUDGET RECONCILIATION – 2010/2011
Foreign Exchange Rate used for conversion USD1 = ZAR7.3 MINUTES OF THE 2010 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM) OF THE INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAM ALUMNI ASSOCIATION – SOUTH AFRICAN CHAPTER PLACE: THE SUNNYSIDE PARK HOTEL, JOHANNESBURG-SOUTH AFRICA DATES: 5 & 6 FEBRUARY 2010 DAY 1 EXEUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: Dr. Raj Govender (Chairperson), Henriëtte Abrahams (Secretary), Meiya Ntoesane (Treasurer), Dr Allan Grootboom, Derrick Njoni, and Yasmine Killan.
Mr Andy Passon (Consul General US Embassy, South Africa) Ms Jeane Passon (US Consulate – South Africa) Ms Maha Hassan (AMID-East Palestine, IFP Partner) Ms Nasima Badsha (Advisor to the Minister of Science and Technology) Ms Alice Brown (Representative, Ford Foundation Southern Africa) Prof. Shireen Hassan (Chairperson of the IFP Selection Committee) Mr. Themba Mhambe (IFP Selection Committee) Ms Nomtuse Mbere (former IFP Advisory Board Member) Prof. Robert Thornton (Wits Anthropology Department) Dr Pamela Nichols (Director of Wits Writing Centre) Ms Louise Africa (Director, AAI/IFP South Africa) Ms. Tholakele Khumalo (Program Assistant IFP South Africa)
Lwazi Kubukeli Shelley Barry Aletta Mungani
Dr. Raj Govender (chairperson) opened the AGM officially and Mrs. Africa (Director: AAI/IFP-SA) welcomed all alumni in attendance. She made special acknowledgements and welcome to the special guests who honored the invitation and graced the occasion. To the alumni, Mrs. Africa said she believed that the Association had come of age and was now in a strong position to take ownership of the AGM deliberations. She thanked all the special guests for their friendship and unwavering support.
Ms Nasima Badsha (Advisor to the Minister of Science and Technology) delivered a keynote address. In her speech, she acknowledged the role played by the Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program in South Africa. She also indicated that she is aware that almost 100% of the alumni return home after their studies abroad and that she would like to know what the alumni do for the country post their studies from the acclaimed institutions of higher learning. She thanked Mrs. Louise Africa of the AAI and the Association for inviting her to deliver the keynote address.
Ms. Alice Brown, an official from the Ford Foundation Southern Africa, presented fellowship programme certificates to alumni who have completed their study programmes. The essence of certification was to acknowledge their completion and like everyone else, remind them of their responsibilities to translate their very many ideas into practical social justice activities aimed at helping those less privileged.
Guests and alumni were shown a short film on the rigors of the selection process, and the Limpopo and Bulungula Incubator projects which are partly funded by the alumni association. In addition, guests and alumni were entertained with poetry and a picture story of alumni during their study periods. After all agenda points for the day were dealt with, the guests and alumni enjoyed the dinner and entertainment. DAY 2 SESSION 1: CHAIRED BY YASMINE KILIAN
Ms Maha Hasan began her presentation by thanking the IFPAA-RSA for inviting her to the annual general meeting. The focus of her presentation was on how to run an alumni association. In her presentation, she raised salient alumni survival issues. Among other things, she discussed the following tips for running an alumni association:
Ms. Yasmine Killan thanked Ms. Maha Hasan for inspiring the alumni association and stressed that it would be a good idea if IFPAA-RSA partnered with the Alumni Association in AMID-East to work together as well as advise each other on matters of common interest.
Dr. Allan Grootboom read through pages 5 to 12 of the 2010 AGM documentation booklet. Pages 5 to 12 are the minutes of the 2008 AGM which was held and 8 to 9 February at the Indaba Hotel in Johannesburg. The minutes were prepared by the interim executive who served during the 2006/8 period. Questions, clarifications and comments raised by members with regards to the minutes of the 2008 AGM were on The structure of the minutes, the nature of the alumni association programme, strategy and implementation of the programme. Henriëtte responded to the questions, comments and clarifications by stating that the programme proposal on page 8 was about activities that were formulated by the previous committee in submitting the budget proposal put forward. Dr. Raj Govender mentioned that it had been very difficult when the new committee took over because there was no continuity from the previous executive after Mr. Ricardo Wyngaard had resigned as chairperson of the Association. On the question of structure, Henriëtte mentioned that other than the executive outward workshop sub-committee, there were no structures in place in the Association (excluding the project structures) and that the actual work to get the outward activities going was done by the executive. Henriëtte explained that the committee had looked at individual alumni activities in the various provinces and decided to embark on the two programmes started by individual alumni in the poorest provinces, namely, the Eastern Cape and Limpopo. The identified projects were alumni driven and were registered as Non-Profit Organisations, with management structures in place. On the question of strategy, Dr. Raj Govender conceded that the Association had no strategy in place and that the AGM agenda made provision for the discussion and adoption of Association strategies. He mentioned that Meiya Nthoesane would be presenting that session during the afternoon session later that day. On the comment on the structure of the minutes, Yasmine Killan acknowledged the point raised and stated that she hoped the handover procedures adopted by the current executive would ensure that a smoother transition takes place. Meiya Nthoesane clarified the objectives of the inward and outward workshops as follows:
To develop specific skills for the member of the association, To generate publicity, press releases, media exposure, academic skills and To advocate social justice skills development in South Africa.
To enhance the knowledge base in the South African context. To deal with social justice challenges in South Africa. (An academic publication will also serve as the content for 2 workshops)
The chairperson Dr. Raj Govender presented the overview from pages 15 to 18 in the 2010 AGM documentation booklet. Questions, clarifications and comments raised by members with regards to the overview by the chairperson were on issues of continuity, maximization of alumni participation, and networking. Mr. Abdul Isaacs stressed that it was noteworthy that Dr. Raj Govender is the Secretary General of Africa’s Alumni Association. He further emphasized that it was important for the Alumni Association to work at a macro level. Lesetja commented that his personal observation had been that one of the challenges faced by the committee was that although members are expected to contribute, they do not participate. He posed the question whether there is any sort of mechanism that could be employed to ensure that the Association gets maximum participation from various alumni. Dr Nomvuselelo Songelwa, the previous interim executive committee chairperson, acknowledged that members of the two executive committees were learning by doing. She stated that alumni should really understand that the committees had made mistakes, but that the AGM needed to serve as a platform to discuss and resolve these issues. She pointed out that these and other factors, such as a lack of funds, were contributing to non-participation, and as such must be recognized as very serious issues that prevent some of the alumni from participating. She stated that the Alumni present need to do something so all alumni can actively participate and focus on how to build each other. Abdul Isaacs clarified that according to the Association’s constitution, the incoming executive is meant to be assisted by the outgoing executive. Henriëtte responded by stating that the outgoing executive was committing to assisting and mentoring the incoming executive. Khulekani Mathe mentioned that for the purposes of records, and to correct the inference that there was some level of irresponsibility from the previous committee, the minutes should reflect that the reason that Ricardo Wyngaard was appointed at the last AGM was to ensure that there was continuity.
The secretary Henriëtte Abrahams presented the secretarial report on pages 19 to 25 in the 2010 AGM documentation booklet. She paid specific attention to the pie chart on the provincial distribution of alumni on page 20 and the section on the executive meetings. She also reflected on the lessons learnt on page 24 to 25 and mentioned that the IFPAA-SA Chapter does not have alumni from the Free State province and therefore encouraged alumni to recruit people who live in the province to apply for the final fellowship awards. Questions, clarifications and comments raised by members with regards to the Secretary’s Report. There were no questions, clarifications or comments on the Secretary’s Report.
The treasurer, Meiya Nthoesane read through the treasure’s report (IFPAA-RSA Financial narrative report) on page 26 to 30 in the 2010 AGM documentation booklet. He explained that the $ 1715 on page 27 was funds used to open the Association’s bank account. He further mentioned that the ABSA bank account had three signatories: namely, the secretary, treasurer and chairperson. Questions, clarifications and comments raised by members with regards to the Treasurer’s Report were on issues around the COADY Conference Report, the Association bank account denomination, EXCO rural projects monitoring and evaluation trips and interest accrued. On the issue of the COADY conference report, Yasmine responded that a report has been sent to the executive, but has not been included in the AGM documentation booklet. Meiya clarified that the Association bank account is not in $ but in Rands, and that it has been changed from a current account to a 32 days call account. Meiya further explained that the financial report was prepared in Dollars as it is the same report that was sent to New York. He conceded that it was an error in judgment not to include the Rand values in the report, and a lesson for the next incoming committee to learn. He stated that the Association funds are administered by AAI-SA. He further elaborated that the Association’s ABSA account was opened to conform to NPO legislation which states that each NPO should open a bank account in its own name. He informed the AGM that financial administration and transactions are done by the AAI-SA and that the Association can therefore not show all the detailed transactions but the audited statements are included in the AAI-SA financial audited statements. On the issue of EXCO rural projects monitoring and evaluation, Meiya explained that these trips were undertaken when the DVD was produced for the Limpopo and Bulungula Incubator projects. Meiya suggested that the next committee should document things fully and leave no room for ambiguity. ADOPTION OF REPORTS Yasmine requested for a proposal for the adoption of the 2008 AGM Minutes, the Chairperson’s Report, the Secretarial Report and the Treasurer’s Report. Khulekani Mathe proposed and Abdul Isaacs seconded the adoption of the minutes and the office bearer reports.
Ms Annette Champion, the Bulungula Incubator Education Project Manager did a presentation on the work sponsored by the Association. She discussed her presentation through the use of a PowerPoint . Amongst the things she mentioned were:
Annette discussed the following focus areas for their project:
Mr Frans Matlala of the Tools Together Youth Development Project in Limpopo gave a PowerPoint presentation. Mr. Frans Matlala, who is an alumnus himself, explained that this project was started by an alumna who has used part of her monthly living allowance stipend to plough back to the community she came from. He shared with the AGM that there are currently ten alumni involved in the project. The Capacity Development Project had equipped young people in the rural areas with skills to apply for bursaries and jobs, as well as to run an organization. It has been identified that most families in the rural areas of Limpopo had no funds to support their children in furthering their studies beyond Grade 12. The main focus of TTYDP was to enhance rural development by addressing:
Dr. Raj Govender reflected on the Africa Regional Alumni conference in Dakar, Senegal in June 2009. He mentioned that the report will be uploaded on the alumni website and face book.
Dr. Raj Govender gave a presentation on the IFP online facility on the IFP Alumni website during which he gave the following steps on how to access the IFP online:
His presentation also covered:
16. FACEBOOK Dr. Allan Grootboom explained how to set up a Facebook profile for the alumni that are not on Facebook yet in order to join the IFPAA-RSA group in the following steps:
SESSION 2: TOWARDS EFFECTIVE SERVICE DELIVERY - REVISION AND RESTRUCTURING CHAIRED BY DR ALLAN GROOTBOOM Meiya Nthoesane presented some ideas around the Association’s Strategy and refocus. The ideas put forward were:
He mentioned that some weaknesses identified around organisational structure revolve around:
He suggested that we revise our strategic positioning with regard to our mission statement which is education for social justice He stated that we need to move towards financial independence as our current model is one of Donor funding and partnerships. He mentioned that other possibilities to look into are:
Meiya proposed that the Association follows a decentralized approach as we are a dispersed organization and not achieving what we hope to achieve. He stressed that this approach would bring about ownership, commitment and participation and would further minimize traveling all over the country. He further suggested that the Association should have four regions based on where most of the alumni are located. He put forward that the provinces should be clustered together in the following regions:
Meiya’s presentation further proposed that the Association’s structure take on the following form:
GROUP DISCUSSIONS ON PROPOSED STRATEGY AND RESTRUCTURING The plenary were divided into four random groups and discussed issues on decentralizing, funding, regional and national leadership. The groups discussed these issues for an hour, after which they reported back to the plenary.
All the groups rejected the issue of decentralization of the Association into the four mentioned regions and opted to continue working on the current provincial levels. It was felt that the Association is not advanced enough to operate in these regions and that the issue of traveling over vast distances would not be resolved as the East Central Region by way of example has KZN and Eastern Cape, which in themselves are vast provinces. The house agreed and the decision to stay with the current provincial structure negated the discussion on regional leadership and structure.
The house accepted that the membership subscription fee of R100.00 per member should remain and that in addition, the incoming executive should set up a trust fund account where alumni who can afford to pay a minimum of R500.00 for subscriptions should do so.
The house stressed that the development of alumni leadership capabilities is critical for quality participation on a micro, meso and macro level for personal, professional and social justice activities. It was put forward that a committee should be set up to investigate what new ways people are conceptualizing issues around leadership, mentorship and social justice policy writing. SESSION 3: ELECTIONS - CHAIRED BY HENRIETTE ABRAHAMS PRESIDING OFFICER – MS MAHA HASAN FROM AMID-EAST PALESTINIAN INTERNATIONAL PARTNER Dr. Raj Govender thanked the EXCO and the AAI/IFP office for the assistance provided to the Association and dissolved the outgoing EXCO and wished the incoming committee all the best for the next term. The following Executive Committee members were duly elected:
The session chair, Henriëtte Abrahams, thanked Ms Maha Hasan for leading the electoral process, congratulated the newly elected executive as well as the honorary members and thanked everyone for participating in the AGM. Minutes prepared by: Henriëtte Abrahams, Secretary of 2008/10 Executive Committee Signed: Date: 24 March 2010 MINUTES OF THE EXECUTIVE MEETING OF THE INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME ALUMNI ASSOCIATION – SOUTH AFRICAN CHAPTER
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT:
APOLOGIES Secretary Aaron Ramodumo AGENDA
Opening of the meeting The meeting was opened by Dr. Raj Govender, the chairperson by welcoming all the EXCO and Mrs. Africa. He also extended condolences to Aaron Ramodumo for his loss. Raj also communicated that the purpose of the meeting would be to fulfill our mandate as the EXCO starting with the funding proposal. Mrs Africa suggested that the EXCO request for an extension to New York until end of September 2011 to enable them to fulfill their mandate as stipulated on the funding proposal. Raj and Aaron are to write the letter and then submit. Funding proposal 2010/11 The funding proposal summary was discussed in relation to its objectives and progress thereof. The objectives were: 4 Inward workshops
Way forward
Resource Handbook Discussions and way forward
EXCO quarterly meetings and a strategic planning session Discussion and way forward
Analysis of strategic planning-IFPAA Operational Strategy Discussion and way forward
Preparation of Operational Strategy based on the funding proposal
Finance
Other matters (Newsletter)
EASTERN REGION ALUMNI WORKSHOP - 2 APRIL 2011 Alumni from various parts of Kwa-Zulu Natal and Eastern Cape gathered at the Royal Hotel, Durban on 2 April 2011 to participate in a workshop which was arranged by EXCO and the LOC in Durban. The Region was also honoured to host Dr. Joan Dassin from New York the Director of the International Fellowship Programme and Mrs Louise Africa, the Director of the African American Institute (AAI). In her address Dr Dassin highlighted the fact that IFP now has about 4300 fellows around the world. She further congratulated the Alumni for doing so much in the region and for having accomplished so much. Most of the presentations were delivered by members of EXCO and focussed on the following:
Guest Presenter, Professor Joan Conolly (DUT) facilitated an interesting session which looked at ways of extending and improving the Alumni’s influence for social justice. The academic session ended with the local Alumni brainstorming strategies for organizational reengineering and Processes and Procedures for the future of the Eastern Region. A working committee under the leadership of Thandokwakhe Sibiya was appointed to oversee the process of driving the vision of the Association. The evenings programme provided a platform for the Alumni to socialize and informally communicate with each other on issues of common interest. The Guest speaker was the Province’s MEC for Finance, Mrs. Ina Cronje who promised to bring to the attention of the Premier and other political leaders the existence of the KZN Alumni and their potential to make difference in the Province in the various sectors. A list of all alumni in Kwa-Zulu Natal and their qualifications and areas of expertise was prepared and submitted to the office of the MEC. Entertainment was provided by two local female artistes known as DeMonique and learners of the Umlazi High School who captivated the audience with soul stirring classical and contemporary music and dance which brought the Eastern Region’s workshop to a grand conclusion. Reported by: Raj Govender
EASTERN REGION WORKSHOP - PHOTOS MINUTES OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (EXCO) MEETING OF THE INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM ALUMNI ASSOCIATION – RSA Date: 07 May 2011 Venue: IKhaya Lodge, Cape Town Time: 15H20-17H00 Meeting type: EXCO Chairperson: Dr. Raj Govender Scribe: Thabile Adams EXCO Members present
AGENDA
1. Welcome and Purpose Dr. Raj Govender welcomed everyone present to the meeting and thanked the Secretary for clear and concise minutes of the previous meeting. The purpose of the meeting was therefore to give support to the Western Region, reflect on our achievements and to plan for the upcoming workshops in the other regions. 2. Apologies from EXCO members
3. Confirmation of Agenda The agenda for the meeting was confirmed and agreed to by all EXCO members. There were was one addition item to the agenda. 1. Proposed Funding by the Ford Foundation New York office for the next AGM in 2012 year for a project or conference.
The Chairperson scanned through the minutes of the previous meeting and highlighted important matters for discussion. The Chairperson moved for the adoption of the minutes as a true reflection of the deliberations of previous meeting held. The minutes were adopted by the Vice-chairperson and seconded by EXCO members who attended the previous meeting. 5. Matters arising from the previous meeting 5.1. Status Report-Northern region workshop
5.2. Discussion of the resource manual
5.3. Newsletter update
5.4. Update on the Purchasing and selling of T-Shirts
6 New matters 6.1 Proposed Funding
6.2 Gauteng Regional workshop
7. Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 18h30 after some long deliberations IFPAA WESTERN REGION ALUMNI WORKSHOP 7th May 2011 Ikhaya Lodge & Conference Centre – Cape Town Western Region Workshop Notes
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