Unisa Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL) launches KZN Military Veterans Education Programme

On Monday, 8 April the Unisa Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL) launched the KwaZulu-Natal chapter of its education programme for military veterans in Durban. Initiated by President Cyril Ramaphosa, Unisa was identified as a strategic partner for the programme which has been specifically developed for members and veterans of, amongst others, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), South African Police Service (SAPS), Metro Police and the South African Safety and Security Agency. The launch was held in partnership with the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality.

The programme in Kwa-Zulu Natal includes 70 veterans who will complete the Safety and Security Executive Programme. The initiative enjoys the full support of the Office of the Provincial Premier, the Mayor of eThekwini and military veterans’ associations.

Honourable Councillor Nkosenhle Madlala, who was representing the Mayor of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, expressed his support at the launch, saying “As military veterans, you are our national treasure. We would be doing the country a disservice to leave you behind. That is why we fully support initiatives such as this.” eThekwini Municipality has established a Military Veterans Directorate in the Mayor’s office. Through this and their training academy, Madlala says they are able to identify and facilitate training for military veterans to ensure they are equipped with skills they can use to sustain themselves and put food on the table.

General Themba Mavundla, Provincial Head of the Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association shared his story, saying “Liberation first, education later – you say when we volunteer. But later, you demand qualifications. You cannot get anywhere without them. This is an opportunity to get those qualifications.” He added, “People here have said, for this country I will die. These are people who can move the country forward.”

Mr Cicero Vokwana member of the education co-ordinating committee of the National Office of Military Veterans, expressed gratitude to Unisa SBL and the City of eThekwini for working together to empower ex-combatants and give them back their dignity through education. "The insight and past experience that military veterans have gained is not recognised by society. Despite their years of knowledge, including developing strong strategic thinking and business administration skills, they have not had an academic paper to prove their worth. This has had a huge psychological impact on their ability to cross the threshold into the business world. We can see that already training through SBL is giving them a positive outlook that most critically will build up their confidence for their future endeavours.”

To the veterans, he said, “When the battle is over, the story remains. You have a platform to rewrite your stories, a second lease of life to serve another purpose in a democratic South Africa. Grab this opportunity with both hands.”

Unisa SBL Programme Manager for the Public Sector, Professor Noel Ngwenya, says, “The struggle is not over until we get an education and we cannot exclude military veterans, people who may have missed opportunities while they were in service, from this. We must give purpose, bring hope and bring dignity to those who served our country.  Prof Ngwenya further highlighted that universities can play an important role in supporting the work of government. “We are greatly honoured to have been chosen as a strategic partner for this programme. We also learn as academics from the military experience.”

The Unisa SBL has achieved great success in developing the leadership skills of government officials in the safety and security cluster. Prof Ngwenya explained that in 2012 the SBL launched a Safety and Security Executive Development Programme as well as a Practical Project Management Programme for the South African Police Service (SAPS) that saw a total of approximately 450 senior officials through the programme, including 260 women. “All female officers had since been promoted to higher ranks within the SAPS, and over 50% of them have reached the rank of General.  We are very proud of all our graduates to date.

The education programme for military veterans will see 700 students nationally taken through a range of postgraduate as well as customised executive education programmes over a three-year period. While the programme was initially launched in Gauteng in February and now in Kwa-Zulu Natal, it will soon be expanded to other regions through the versatility of the Unisa model.