As Africa Month drew to a close, Dr Phumzile Langa, DBE’s Director for Rural Education, shared her perspective on the true meaning of the commemoration: “Celebrating Africa Day on 25 May, ignited in me a sense of pride in being African, a multifaceted identity shaped by shared history, cultural traditions, commitment to empathy, compassion and humanity, and a feeling of connectedness to African voices and perspectives. I found myself pondering my leadership and management role and practice and how much these are influenced by my Africanness”. She continued to share a few interesting thoughts:

“As managers in the public sector, we play a crucial role in shaping the direction, structure and outcomes of public organisations, whilst also influencing the development of human capital. As such, we are often considered leaders. However, there is a growing concern regarding some unethical behaviour amongst us, a misappropriation of public office for private, material or social gain. Managers are also accused of decision making that is based on questionable values and lack emotional and intellectual maturity.

“It is against this backdrop that I had to gently remind myself of the core values that inform leadership in an African context and that make us uniquely African. First, Africans view leaders as servants of their nations or communities. Drawing heavily on the concept of Ubuntu from an African perspective, leadership emphasizes collectivism, empathy and mutual respect. Ubuntu is the foundation for the basic values that manifest themselves in how African people think and behave towards each other and everyone else they encounter, a pervasive spirit of caring and community, harmony and hospitality, respect and responsiveness. From an African perspective, leadership therefore is not just about individual achievement, but about working collaboratively, fostering a sense of community and shared responsibility for the collective good. As leaders and managers, we should draw from this and make it the foundation of our leadership.

“As a philosophy, Ubuntu resonates with two approaches to leadership: Servant Leadership is a philosophy that mandates leaders to prioritize serving the needs of others, rather than focusing solely on personal gain or control. This approach emphasizes building relationships, empowering team members and fostering a supportive environment where individuals can thrive and contribute their best work. Responsible Leadership focuses in five key principles:  ethics, honesty, authenticity, being a source of inspiration and humility. Responsible leaders genuinely care about those they lead. They do not act callously against others, show favouritism, take credit for others' hard work; nor do they knowingly allow others to be disrespected or abused.

“As we hold these important positions, we have a responsibility to consistently demonstrate and promote appropriate conduct through our actions and relationships, adhere to ethical principles and values, make decisions informed by the spirit of Ubuntu, act as role models and lead with integrity, honesty and fairness. True African leadership means earning our positions of trust and making the people who entrust us with these roles and the people we lead proud. Most importantly we need to put Ubuntu at the centre of our leadership”.