On Thursday, 26 April, the St Anne's girls attended a college lecture presented by Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Professor Hlengiwe Mkhize. The lecture, consisting of a brief introduction and a question and answer session, presented the girls with an opportunity to engage with this inspirational woman, who is a female politician, freedom fighter and authority on the progress made in South Africa in our eighteen years of freedom.Deputy Minister Mkhize spoke about the importance of understanding our history in order to nurture democracy and human rights culture, ensuring that a system of entrenched discrimination and division can never arise again. As the new generation of leaders, she encouraged the girls to go on the offensive to be ambassadors of the country, emphasising the important values that women bring to politics – a career that denotes becoming a servant to the people. Her advice included finding something they were passionate about and concentrating their focus on spreading awareness and action.
During the course of the question and answer session, the girls enthusiastically asked a range of questions that addressed the current international image of South Africa, the alarming educational situation in the Eastern Cape, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the media, and the challenges faced by her department. The underlying theme throughout the lecture was clear – a reminder of Mandela and his collective, people-centred qualities and that, although we are living in freedom, we all have a responsibility to ensure that the gains we have made in our eighteen years of freedom are not lost.
News and image supplied by St Annes in Hiton, KZN.