The three student leaders at the back, Teboho Siziba, Heinz Schoeman-Struwig and Theo Seepamore, are pictured with Prof Dan Kgwadi (vice-chancellor), Dr Bismark Tyobeka (chairperson of Council) and Prof Marlene Verhoef (registrar).

NWU students have spoken. After a successful 2019/20 student leadership election, representatives for the upcoming academic year have been chosen for each of the three campuses.

 

eish! spoke to the three chairpersons-elect, Theo Seepamore (Mahikeng), Heinz Schoeman-Struwig (Potchefstroom) and Teboho Siziba (Vanderbijlpark), about their leadership journeys.

 

 

Did you know?

 

Theo is an avid sports supporter and has served as the assistant coach of the Khayelitsha Residence and the head coach of the Lost City Residence in Mahikeng. He was also the team manager of the campus’ aerobics club. In his free time, he enjoys swimming, aerobics and playing pool. His favourite sports team is Kaizer Chiefs.

 

Apart from being a student leader, Heinz is also an established entrepreneur and social media influencer. He has his own clothing line, called inHeinzsight Clothing. His social media username is @inHeinzsight and you can follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

 

Teboho loves to read and his favourite leadership quote comes from the writings of Norman Vincent Peale, an American minister and author known for his work on positive thinking. “Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy.”

 

 

Climbing the ladder of student leadership

Although they have different backgrounds, there are similarities in the trio’s rise to the pinnacle of student leadership.

All of them joined academic and student organisations early on in their student careers and they have fulfilled various leadership roles.

Academically, they have served in roles such as class representative, academic mentor, supplemental instructor and research assistant.

In the area of student governance, they were elected as members of the respective student campus councils, house committees and other structures such as sport clubs and arts and culture committees.

A commercial farmer, a property developer and an educator

Theo, who hails from Diretsane Village in the North West Province, is busy with his master’s degree in agriculture focusing on crop science, and is excited about empowering himself as a successful commercial farmer.

Heinz, who was born in Sandton and grew up in Bryanston, believes that variety is the spice of life. He boasts a BA degree in development and management and an honours degree in public administration and governance, and is pursuing a master’s degree in environmental science and disaster risk science. Heinz says he is contemplating a career in property development.

The third member of the trio, Teboho, is a final-year education student who sees himself completing his PhD within the next five years. He believes that through continued education, he will empower himself to be a positive force for change for the younger generation.

Aspirations for 2020

Asked about their aspirations for the year ahead, the trio are in agreement: they want to serve the NWU student body with vigour and dedication. They all subscribe to the principle of servant leadership and voice their desire to serve the university through collective buy-in and innovative headship.

Teboho sums it up by saying: “We have been entrusted with the role of facilitating student governance and we will do so with dignity, diligence and pride.”