Mandela Day Career & Giveback Day in Soweto

This Mandela Month, I'm going back to the school that shaped me.

My name is Lerato Phelane. I'm a Chartered Accountant (CA(SA)), and the Founder of Nuru Youth Collectiv — a non-profit working to empower young people across South Africa through skills development, mentorship, and access to opportunity.

But before any of that, I was a learner at Mafori Mphahlele High School in Soweto. And I know firsthand what it means when someone takes the time to show you that a different future is possible — and what it means when something as small as not having sanitary products or stationery can quietly stand in the way of that future.

On Friday, 17 July — the eve of Mandela Day — Nuru Youth Collectiv is going back to Mafori Mphahlele High School for a Career & Giveback Day. We're bringing professionals from different industries to speak to learners about real career paths — and we're bringing practical support too: sanitary products, stationery, goodie bags, and food for every learner there.

Mandela said it best: it's not the mere fact that we have lived, but the...