Leadership

Fezekile Futhwa - The Founder

Why did I start Nalane
As an African child brought up in the tradition of folklore, heritage is an inseparable part of me. Language, culture and tradition define who I am. This part about us African people was missing on the internet in 1997 when I started working. I set out to correct this obvious error of judgement.



On Education
I completed matric in 1993 at Thahameso Secondary in Bolata village, and I had no idea what I wanted to do for a living. I have tried studying Information Technology through Tecknikon SA but could never finish my last year. The course was not inspiring for me. I am now registered for a BA in Sesotho and Theory of Literature.


What Else
I write on futhwa.org.za, my personal site. I have started a writers organisation named Young Writers Emporium on www.bhala.co.za. I have worked as a software developer for about a decade and a half.


Vision
It is my greatest honour to work on the development of my cultural heritage. Everything takes place in language. Language is the core focus of what we do.

Leisa Ratsoku Mphosi

HOW I GOT INVOLVED
As someone who is passionate about my heritage, I spend a lot of time researching and reading about it. I was disappointed to find that it was virtually impossible to find something concrete and well organized about our tribes on one site. Most of this information was found only in books. Most are now out of print and difficult to get hold of. I therefore started to toy with the idea of making this information available on the internet.

The greatest challenge I was faced with was getting this started as I knew very little, in fact, almost nothing, about web designing. I therefore felt that it would make sense to find someone with the right knowledge or background. In my effort to this, I happened to stumble upon the Nalane website. I was happy to see that someone had already made significant progress in this regard. I then proceeded to contact Mr Futhwa. After a few meetings, it became clear that we were driven by the same passion, and so began this interesting journey of discovery.


EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
After completing my matric in 1996, I have gone from pillar to post in my search for an academic path that will be both fulfilling and meaningful. It saddens me that to date I still don’t have a complete qualification. It has mostly been due to financial constraints and sometimes lack of focus. After initially performing well, I would then slack off, wondering if I should be studying something else instead. As one can imagine, the results will start dropping dismally as I put in less and less effort. I have been trapped in this unfortunate cycle for some time now. At the moment I am studying towards a B.Sc Degree (Maths and Chemistry) part-time. I hope I have gained the wisdom to stick this one out.


OTHER ACTIVITIES
I am the founder of Tshiame Youth Council (TYC), an NGO which focuses on talent development and skills provision for the local youth. Due to work and study commitments, most activities have taken a backseat. The fact that I am now based in Secunda makes it even more difficult. I may consider starting something here when I feel that my work and studies have sufficiently stabilized. I find it fulfilling when I’m involved in community projects, especially working with the youth. I also own an internet café situated at Embalenhle Township. Three other things that are close to my heart are music, reading and chess coaching. I am currently fulltime employed at Sasol Secunda as a Senior Laboratory Analyst.


VISION
My involvement in this site has given me a tremendous amount of joy. The intention here is to educate, as well as to learn from the various interactions we have with the readers. We do not claim expertise at all and we would be learning as we go along. Ultimately, this site will become a standard against which all heritage and cultural affairs are judged.

Ha e be kgotso!!

Jabulani "Sam" Mahlaba

Background
I was born in Swayimana village near Pietermaritzburg in the province of KwaZulu Natal. My love for different languages goes as far back as late 1980s. Due to limited exposure to other South African tribes, I decided to learn as much as I could about my own culture and that gave birth to a long term goal of writing short stories and literature in Zulu.


Professional Career
I obtained both BSc (Chemistry) and BSc (Hons) from the University of Cape Town in 2000 and 2001 which was followed by joining Sasol Technology R&D to work as an environmental scientist. I furthered my studies and obtained Master of Science in Engineering from Wits University. My entrepreneurial side materialised and required me to nurture my business skills to keep my external business interests alive hence I registered for SAIM programme in Business Management with Unisa which I completed in 2009. I am busy with my doctoral degree (PhD) with University of Pretoria under Geotechnical Engineering which was commenced in 2008. On the other hand, I have written a few scientific articles some of which were presented in international conferences in countries such as Italy, Ireland, USA and Botswana.


Extramural Activities
As a result of my passion for science and engineering, I help scholars with science subjects, mainly, mathematics and physical science. Concurrently, I run my own business in my short spare time. Despite all these involvements, languages and culture remain inherent to me and provide uniqueness in what I do for living.


My Involvement
Leisa Mphosi approached me about nalane and my potential involvement with Mr Futhwa who is the founder. This sounded too good to be true because I do not have knowledge of setting up websites despite a strong cultural background and zeal to share. Our first meeting gave birth to what I view as a long working relationship with Mr Mphosi and Futhwa on nalane.


Vision
The website provides a platform for debating cultural matters with a goal of building a concise and reader-friendly stop pertaining to South African tribes. I envisage the two-way learning with wide audience which will ultimately lift the profile of the subject and knowledge gaps will be identified and bridged where possible.