Sibanda leads from the front

Justicia Shipena Kudzai Sibanda was born in Zimbabwe but relocated to South Africa in his fifth grade. He attended Knysna High, Percy Mdala and Concordia High schools. After he completed his schooling, he went on to do civil engineering and public relations at a college, but says, the passion wasn’t there.According to Sibanda, the things that have been the most important for his personal growth include getting to know people. During dinner, he says, he walks into different blocks at res to strike up conversations with different people, getting to know why individuals are different.“I’m very sensitive about my environment because ultimately it shapes us,” he said.In his view ethics are “everything in leadership” adding that ethics shape leadership and governs it. It holds leaders accountable and defines the difference between humility and arrogance.Being the SRC president this year, Sibanda said he identifies himself as an ordinary student who got tired of complaining and decided to get up and do something.“I’m just trying to take the first step towards my vision of youth mentorship. It is really absent in our community,” he said.He added that each person in his life has shaped the way he thinks and acts, and also rationalises his place in society.According to him what makes a good leader is the willingness and ability to follow saying if one has never followed before, how they will lead one day.Sibanda said one of the outstanding leaders he knows is Emma Theofelus as she has always put ethics above anything else.Earlier this year when Sibanda had an SRC meeting he managed to adapt his style in order to work effectively with the council.“I was with 12 different personalities and about four different tribes… each person a different personality. I couldn’t just behave in one style. I quickly had to learn how to adapt with languages and common slang and bearing in mind that each person has a different story,” he said.Growing up Sibanda’s mother never allowed him to speak his home language, Shona, rather, they would speak Xhosa or Zulu. While she could not speak them she wanted her son to learn them.“Now I see that she was promoting the love of culture and through it, the appreciation of diversity,” he said.He associates himself with people from different tribes and says this helps him see to promote diversity as it allows people to look at the same problem in different ways, promoting different and effective solutions.In his free time he plays golf, the guitar and enjoys modelling and writing.

Sibanda leads from the front

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-30

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Sibanda leads from the front

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-30

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