The Matthew Goniwe School of Leadership and Governance (MGSLG) is an institute responsible for preserving, maintaining, and sustaining the legacy of Matthew Goniwe, it continues to celebrate, honour, commemorate and promote him for good work and contributions that he made in the process of fighting for Black South Africans for them to live a dignified and better life. MGSLG does this through hosting the Matthew Goniwe Memorial Lecture annually and also by developing and executing training programmes that are meant to respond to what Matthew Goniwe envisaged and dreamed of, which was for South Africa to have Modernised and Innovated Education System meant to improve and uplift black communities.
Yet again this year MGSLG held the 10th Annual Matthew Goniwe Memorial Lecture Series under the theme ‘’TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP FOR SOCIAL CHANGE, TO EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATION’’. This enormous event took place at The Canvas, Riversands Incubation Hub in Fourways, on the 08th of December 2023.
The event was blessed with the presents of the: Goniwe Family and Cradock delegation; Premier of the Gauteng Province Hon: Panyaza Lesufi who is the former MEC of the Gauteng Department of Education; current MEC of the Gauteng Department of Education Hon: Matome Chiloane; current Commissioner of National Planning Commission who is also a former MEC of the Gauteng Department of Education Prof: Mary Metcalfe; Gauteng Department of Education officials; Matthew Goniwe officials; academics; activists, policymakers, and the public.
Prof: Mary Metcalfe was a guest speaker and perfectly articulated inspirational memoir of the Cradock Four and also described how they relate to the theme of the event.
Matthew Goniwe is a pioneer, a legendary, teacher and a South African anti-apartheid activist, and one of the Cradock Four murdered by the South African Police in 1985. He originates in Cradock in the Eastern Cape and worked as a mathematics and science teacher in several schools around the Eastern Cape Province and worked as a principal at Sam Xhali Secondary School. He was active and involved in leadership of the several community support groups in Cradock and its surroundings.
The purpose of this crucial and imperative memorial lecture was also to: promote and create MGSLG brand awareness; establish new partnerships with businesses to increase enterprise prospects, commercial joint ventures, and revenue; attract collaboration with possible donors, funders and key education specialists, etc
Written by: Bayanda Magoswana