#BLM Talk with Precious Mfeka
The fifth #BLM video podcast will take form as a written medium, featuring special guest Precious Mfeka.
Precious is currently receiving a Bachelor’s in Organizational Psychology and Legal Theory at Rhodes University. She is currently on Inkululeko’s Board of Advisors. Precious has experience as a Representative, Liaison, and Advisor on the Rhodes University Student Representative Council. She was a Community Engagement Representative for University Residence, a Student Leader under the Rhodes University Community Engagement, and a Student Volunteer Leader for the Home of Joy (Children’s Home). Additionally, she was also the Project Manager and Community Engagement Officer for Ntuthuko Legal Activism. Precious was awarded the Investec Top 100 for Community Engagement!
Question: How did you get to where you are today and how has your identity influenced your journey?
Answer: I was born and raised in a suburb with a rich history of the draconian laws of Apartheid. Sophiatown resembled the resilience of the spirits of black people as it was once a legendary black cultural hub and the epicentre of politics, jazz and blues.
I was privileged to be sent to some of the good schools in my neighbourhood, while also having a mother who balanced the education that I received at school with teachings of what it means to be a black isiZulu girl in South Africa. I cannot thank her enough for also enforcing house rules that promoted equality between my brothers and myself. Each day at home was a conversation between her and my brothers about loving and treating all women with respect and fairness. I always had a glimpse of what the world could be like when I was home with my family.
Besides growing up in a home that was open to many, Community Engagement was introduced to me at a very young age. In Sophiatown, we had an amazing centre which through dance, mentorship and academic tutoring helped all, but mostly the black people in our community, to realise their intrinsic and equal value. Similar to Inkululeko, the centre operated with integrity, focused on service, while also highlighting innovation and diversity.
This was very important to the influencing of my identity. Even though I may have been othered in the historically white and then segregated schools that I attended, I was still able to learn the principles of Ubuntu, which is an isiZulu term, often translated as “I am, because we are”. That, along with the incredible minds that I have had the privilege of speaking to and learning from, whether it be at Rhodes University, members of the community, through social media, the elderly or reading, have and continue to inform who I am becoming.
Question: You are extremely experienced in community engagement. What is your goal for the future concerning community engagement, equity, and inclusion? Is there an end goal for you?
Answer: You know, we’re sometimes asked the question “if you had the chance, what would you tell your younger self?” and often times, many individuals have a great deal of wisdom and important life skills to share. In very broad terms, that is my ultimate goal – to ensure that each and every human in South Africa is aware of their value in their respective communities, and that we begin to accept that we are all responsible for the youth that society produces; that the youth are indeed ‘our younger selves’.
Mutual learning, sustainability and relationship building have been principles that I was able to adopt in my approach towards Community Engagement for the past three years. These have informed the goals that I have achieved in relation to my attempts at achieving access to basic education and poverty alleviation. However, in the context of equity and inclusion, I would still like to explore solutions by involving members of the community to address the ongoing gender and racial inequality that exists in South Africa. Most importantly, I am of the opinion that society cannot function optimally without the empowerment of woman through tangible and actionable skills development and education and that is also one of my long-term goals.
Question: Do you see a lot of women empowerment in the community engagement space in South Africa? Why do you think it is important to highlight female voices in community engagement and how can we do better?
Answer: Universities through their respective Community Engagement programmes have played and continue to play a significant role in providing skills to women in both rural and urban communities that promote job creation and sustainable living. Religious organisations, Non-profits and companies through their Corporate Social Investment initiatives also contribute to the empowerment of women in South Africa.
Such cases where the voices of women are highlighted in this country mean that there is an attempt at addressing the injustices of the past and present (gender inequality). This is important because woman empowerment is the key to social transformation, as the end result often includes an enhancement of the quality and quantity of human capital that can contribute to the development of society.
The issue that exists however, is that not as many women have access to these Community Engagement interventions. It is either they find themselves not directly benefitting from the initiative or the parties responsible do not commit to the achievement of the goals initially set out in their programmes. What can be done to curb this is an assessment of the women in society prior to any programmes being initiated as well as putting measures in place that ensure the commitment to the objectives of the programmes and constantly evaluating these measures. This is important because some of the mistakes made in Community Engagement is that organisations tend to impose their preconceived notions of “what communities need help with”, and as a result do not consult or build relationships with the community members or in this case, the woman who need empowerment.
Question: You are receiving a BA in Organizational Psychology and Legal Theory and you have quite an impressive resume in community engagement and law. What is your understanding of how law and psychology can intersect with community engagement and how that can create equity and inclusion in South Africa?
Answer: This is an interesting question. Well, one of the founding values of the South African constitution is the rule of law, along with human dignity, the achievement of freedoms, ensuring government accountability and most importantly the supremacy of the constitution. The rule of law therefore seeks to ensure that no person should be treated as being above the law. What this means for society is that our supreme constitution sets out a theoretical guarantee that the law will be just and its administration will be fair.
However, even though South Africa is deemed to have one of the most progressive constitutions in the world, it is not self-executing. This then creates the need for community engagement, where an asset-based and community driven approach can be implemented so that members of the community are able to learn how to identify their own issues or rights violations and know how to access the remedies. What this then also does is empower society.
Organisational psychology on the other hand deals with the application of psychological principles and theories to organisations, while seeking to understand and improve the physical and mental wellbeing of the people in those organisations. This discipline would be important in Community Engagement as interventions such as career guidance can be developed to suit the context and needs of the respective societies, without using a blanket approach that may not work for others, thus creating fairness and inclusion.
Question: As a message to all of the students looking to make a change - has there ever been a time in your academic and personal development when you’ve felt unsuccessful? How did you move past that?
Answer: This year is undoubtedly one of the most trying times for us all and may leave many of us feeling demotivated and unsuccessful as much of our realities have been distorted. I can only share some of the advice given to me by one of my lecturers and that is to protect your overall wellbeing at all cost. He further explained that this would include thinking of new ways to re-establish yourself in this novel situation, that will enable you to function optimally and to continue with your personal goals as they are indeed still valid and attainable. This can include exercise, reading, setting up a schedule that will keep you productive from the comfort of your home or even volunteering your services in your community (tutoring online, mentorship, support). It is important to connect with people who share those goals to keep you motivated and to ask for help when needed. I am still moving past it as well but please know that isolation does not have to be lonely and that change takes time, consistency and a lot of self-discipline.