We all have varied passions, things that set our proverbial souls on fire. For 21-year-old Kutloano Malahlela, its community upliftment.

Malahlela, who graduated from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) with a Bachelor of Arts (Community Development and Leadership)- with distinction-shared that his love for helping his community, was amplified by his experiences at the institution.

“It’s something I am very passionate about. I have been practicing community development way before I came to UJ. I run a community development organisation (CBO) called ‘The Eye of Hope’ which I founded when I was 14 years old,” he said.

Malahela shared that it’s this passion that led him to wanting to pursue studies in either social work, or community development. He sheepishly admitted that UJ wasn’t always his first choice.

“This is a little embarrassing but when I finished matric, UJ was not my first option. My first option was another university somewhere in the Cape. Due to financial difficulties, I couldn’t take the offer in the Cape. I then had to think practically, and look what other university would benefit me greatly, and is closer to home. That’s how I came to UJ”.

He added that he discovered during his time at UJ that it turned out to be the best decision for him, and his organisation.

“Choosing UJ was the best decision, that in hindsight enhanced my passion for community development more. When I got to UJ I got practical experience, some of it through UJ’s Community Engagement Unit (CE@UJ). When you’re in your CBO, you don’t quite see beyond your immediate surrounds/ setting. So being here, exposed me to different perspectives of community development, and the opportunities I received at the University exposed me to international networks that I even got to make use of in my personal life, and in the organisation I run. In that way, the organisation benefitted greatly from my decision to study here. So UJ may not have been my first option, but it’s turned out to have been the best option”.

Second to his passion, which is uplifting others, is the development of a strong sense of identity among the youth and young people.

The Eye of Hope, Malahlela shared is a community development organisation that is based in and services the area of Mamelodi and other surrounding Tshwane townships. They provide holistic societal support. He explained that this ranges from providing food relief, to toiletries and educational developmental programs that are centred around African heritage.

“We are, for example, one of the first community-based organisations (CBOs) that have created a spelling bee in South African indigenous languages. What we are trying to do is to promote linguistic diversity, also to instil pride in our languages, especially among young people. This was inspired by the 2021 report (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) that said Grade 4 learners do not read for meaning. The research further stated that its not that the children do not understand what they are taught, but rather that they are not taught in languages that they speak. So, we wanted to be part of providing a solution to this problem.”, Malahlela said.

He added that after the first spelling bee competition, they found that the children are quite interested in studying African languages. The main challenge, he said,  was making these studies a little more appealing.

“Another thing we also noted was that their lack of participation is normally caused by these kinds of initiatives not looking fancy enough, and on the other hand there’s also a lack of support for these initiatives.”

After a successful undergraduate career at UJ, Kutloano now looks forward to charting new paths ahead. To encourage other prospective students to make the smart choice of studying at UJ, Kutloano said they should choose UJ because: “It’s the destination for greatness. There’s no better option besides UJ. The University’s current motto is ‘Our future, reimagined’. This ‘re-imagination’ takes place in many ways, from the innovative teaching methods to the opportunities you’re exposed to and as someone who’s experienced this first hand, I can tell you that there is no lie there. UJ is a place where I got to imagine my own future. You come here as a student and leave as a legend in the making”.