Our fourth day of the international seminar, and our third full one in Pretoria, began with a storm. Thunder rolled across the city and heavy rain fell — a welcome surprise in a country often described as dry. We joined the locals in their delight, stepping out into a morning washed clean and alive with possibility.
Our first visit took us to the University of Pretoria in Roodepoort, where we met with Ben van der Merwe from the Albert Luthuli Leadership Institute. His session challenged us to reexamine our ideas about leadership — to look beyond titles, control, or position. Through probing questions and reflection, he invited us to consider the myths that shape how we lead.
“What if leadership isn’t something a person has, but something a group does when they organize around a shared purpose?”
In that question, we found an invitation to humility. Leadership, he suggested, lives between us — not within us. It is relational, built in the spaces where trust, empathy, and shared purpose intersect.
As we continue to explore South Africa’s layered history of apartheid and governance, van der Merwe’s ideas resonated deeply. He used Nelson Mandela as an example of relational leadership in action — how Mandela, even while imprisoned on Robben Island, built authentic relationships with his guards. His quiet dignity and empathy changed how they treated others. It wasn’t the grand gestures that defined his leadership, but the daily acts of integrity and grace. Leadership, we were reminded, is not a right but a practiced way of being.
“Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not break.”
That wisdom proved true as our day took an unexpected turn. Due to the U.S. government shutdown, our planned visit to the U.S. Embassy was cancelled. The disruption became its own lesson — a reminder that leadership often demands flexibility and that even distant decisions can ripple across the globe.
When our embassy visit was canceled, the day opened up in a way that allowed us to explore the University of Pretoria’s Merensky Library, a national monument housing a stunning collection of bronze casts, wooden carvings, and plaster sculptures by South African artists. From there, we wandered to the Mapungubwe Gallery, home to artifacts dating back to around 1200 AD. Their discovery revealed a more complex truth about South Africa’s past — one that challenged the long-held belief that no tribal communities lived that far north.
This encounter underscored a question that continues to echo through our journey: “How does what we believe about the past shape how we approach the future?“
After thanking our hosts, we traveled to Sandton, Johannesburg’s glittering financial hub often called the “Richest Square Mile in Africa.” Towering skyscrapers and luxury storefronts stood in stark contrast to the nearby township of Alexandra, visible just across the road. The proximity of wealth and poverty — opulence and struggle — offered a vivid glimpse into South Africa’s enduring inequalities.
As we look toward our visit to Soweto later this week, we continue to wrestle with South Africa’s striking contrasts — a land of immense beauty and deep wounds, of resilience and reckoning. We have witnessed a living culture rooted in tribal traditions, where people still dwell in rondawels with thatched Cape reed roofs. Though apartheid has formally ended, its influence remains deeply woven into the nation’s social and economic fabric. Each conversation, each visit, each storm reminds us: systems can evolve, people can heal, and leadership — practiced daily in relationships and courage — remains the path forward.
Humbly,
Jarred, Allison, Rachael and Class 54
3 Responses
This post is fantastic. The fellows opportunity to deepen their understanding of Leadership in a full way as they stand in the midst of history that occurred in their lifetimes and can witness the ongoing challenges for the South African Culture and local communities.
Thank you for sharing this. In context of the other travel posts so far, I can see a fabric being woven in your reflections. I enjoyed hearing about Mandela’s relationships with the guards.
Leadership is relational and what an excellent example of Nelson Mandela’s relationships with his prison guards. The contrasts you are noticing are so fascinating and remind me of things that Class 53 saw in Southeast Asia. Thank you for these blog posts, they are so fun to read and follow along with your trip. Safe travels 54!