Day 5 – Johannesburg: Lessons from History, Healing, and Humanity

Understanding the Past: British Colonialism and Leadership Lessons

Our morning unfolded under the guidance of Professor Fransjohan Pretorius of the University of Pretoria, a historian whose voice carries both the weight and wonder of centuries. In his lecture, “British Colonialism in Southern Africa,” he traced the long arc of migration, conquest, and resilience that shaped this nation’s identity. He painted a portrait of time in motion — from the arrival of European explorers in the 1400s to the ambitions of empires that followed. In 1652, the Dutch East India Company established a modest refreshment post at the Cape of Good Hope, a seed that would grow into Afrikaner culture. British occupation later reshaped that soil, bringing conflict, reform, and the uneasy tension between power and principle.

The abolition of slavery in 1834 sent Dutch farmers inland on the Great Trek, a pursuit of freedom that collided with the sovereignty of indigenous peoples. Gold in the Transvaal set the stage for the Anglo-Boer War, leading to the 1910 Union of South Africa — a country born from compromise, yet scarred by exclusion.

In a brief but striking aside, Professor Pretorius reflected on the youth of South Africa’s democracy — reminding us that, having only emerged from apartheid in 1994, the nation’s experiment with full enfranchisement in self-governance is scarcely thirty years old. For a land whose history stretches back to ancient tribal systems rooted in kinship and consensus, the structures of modern democracy are still learning to take root. That observation lingered. It reframed the day’s history not as distant past, but as a living story — one still unfolding in the tensions between freedom and order, tradition and progress. Professor Pretorius offered more than history; he reminded us that each chapter of conquest and courage reflected questions of leadership that remain deeply relevant today — the delicate balance between strength and empathy, control and compassion, ambition and justice.

Leadership Through Truth and Compassion

From the sweep of empire to the pulse of human struggle, our next session turned toward healing. Dr. Oosthuizen, a medical microbiologist who has devoted his life to HIV care, invited us into one of South Africa’s most painful and transformative chapters. The first known case of HIV in South Africa was recorded in 1982. Within two decades, the epidemic would claim more than 2 million lives. By the late 1990s, one in five adults was living with HIV, and by 2002, the virus had become the leading cause of death in the country. Entire communities were hollowed out — schools without teachers, families without parents, villages where loss was as common as breath.

He spoke of the early years when denial and misinformation spread even faster than the virus itself. The government’s refusal to acknowledge the link between HIV and AIDS left clinicians powerless, offering comfort when what people needed was care. Then came a turning point: the 2000 International AIDS Conference in Durban. Scientists, doctors, and activists united to speak truth to power, demanding action. Their courage changed the course of history.

The arrival of antiretroviral therapy transformed despair into determination. Today, nearly 8 million South Africans live with HIV, yet access to treatment has reduced AIDS-related deaths by more than half since 2010. Science, advocacy, and compassion have turned what was once a death sentence into a story of resilience. Dr. Oosthuizen reminded us that leadership is not measured by authority, but by empathy. “Language is medicine too,” he said, describing how learning local dialects built trust with patients who had every reason to fear the system. In that moment, leadership became something quiet but profound — the courage to meet people where they are and walk beside them until healing begins.

Meeting People Where They Are & Navigating Cultural Complexity

The afternoon took us to the Center for HIV/AIDS Prevention Studies (CHAPS), where the ideals we’d heard found flesh and form. Founded in 2002, CHAPS works alongside the Department of Health, PEPFAR, and the CDC to advance HIV prevention across South Africa — a country where science must always dance with culture. The team described their comprehensive approach: from providing male circumcision services that reduce HIV transmission, to administering 1.5 million tests — each one a heartbeat in the statistics of survival. Their work is as much about courage as it is about care.

CHAPS has built laboratories where AI helps interpret test results in challenging field conditions, and created AMY, a WhatsApp-based chatbot that answers health questions with accuracy and empathy. Behind every response stands a human being reviewing tone, ensuring compassion, and intervening when someone’s message hints at despair. Their journey hasn’t been easy. In a society where conversations about men’s health can carry shame, and where funding cuts threaten futures, CHAPS continues to innovate — even launching a medical spa to sustain their mission. Their adaptability mirrors the resilience of this nation: bending, never breaking; evolving without losing purpose.

Reflections on Leadership

As the Johannesburg skyline turned gold in the setting sun, the day’s threads wove together — from the histories that wounded to the healers who repair. Professor Pretorius reminded us that leadership requires humility before history. Dr. Oosthuizen showed that courage sometimes looks like listening. CHAPS proved that innovation is most powerful when grounded in empathy. That evening, around a long table filled with laughter and reflection, we shared what had stirred us most. The conversations lingered like candlelight — soft, warm, alive.

Tonight, as we prepare for tomorrow’s journey, we carry gratitude for those who endured and those who continue to heal. South Africa’s story reminds us that leadership is not a destination, but a devotion — a daily act of turning awareness into action and empathy into change.

With appreciation,

Tony, Cameron, Patty, and Class 54