City of Tshwane MMC for Environment and Agriculture Management, Ziyanda Zwane.
The exceptional leadership roles Zwane played during his studies at the University have paved the way for his success, enabling him to rise to a position where now he can rub shoulders with the CoT’s most important and influential people.
He has served as a class rep in 2016, a Publicity Secretary in 2018 and as the Deputy President of the Soshanguve Campus SRC in 2019.
Following his student years, he represented the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) as a PR Councillor in Tshwane before I was elected acting Speaker of the City of Tshwane at the beginning of 2023. He served in this position for three months.
“Being the CoT’s youngest MMC comes with much pressure. Some people are doubtful about your ability to succeed, while others are rooting for you to succeed. Although it is a challenging situation, it is important to adjust and perform at your utmost best. Despite these challenges, student politics at Soshanguve prepared me well and I am taking every day one step at a time,” Zwane said.
Zwane commended TUT for the role it played in preparing him for his career. According to him, his leadership qualities came to life when he stepped into the people’s university, which has played a huge role in his career up to this point.
“The roles that I played at TUT paved the way for me to get where I am today. My tenure as Deputy President of the Soshanguve Campus SRC required me to be observant, alert as well as ready to identify and seize opportunities for success. I am grateful to TUT for giving me so many platforms to explore my abilities and capabilities.”
“Thus far, everything is going well, while I am hard at work building relationships with professionals in the Agriculture and Environment Management department,” he added.
Zwane emphasised the importance of education in honing the qualities of leaders.
“Education is important in politics. It equips you to critically analyse situations and find ways to effectively deal with specific questions and challenges.”
He advised Alumni to remain consistent and work hard to achieve their dreams.
“Although I did not expect to reach this position at such a youthful age, my hard work and consistency got me to where I am now. Therefore, I would like to advise young people to remain consistent in everything you do, never give up and work hard towards realising your dreams.”