Johannesburg - She gained public attention as the militant young Wits student, in a turban in ANC colours, at the helm of the #FeesMustFall campaign. But Wits University SRC president Nompendulo Mkhatshwa, 22, is not impressed about being singled out as the face of the campaign that shook South Africa and led to the government’s providing an extra R2 billion to universities so they could freeze fees for this year.
“The revolution cannot be individualised,” Mkhatshwa said in an interview. “It does not belong to one person. It belongs to the people. There will be people at different parts of the office who should get recognition, not the individual.”
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The geography student wanted to speak exclusively about her leadership role in the Wits students’ latest campaign, #access, which seeks to raise R10million to ensure every student who does not qualify for NSFAS funding has access to education.
But we wanted to find out what made her tick and talk about the turban that made her an instant fashion icon. “People always ask me how I tie my turban. I just tie it. Sometimes I get so annoyed because it does not sit properly.
“I laugh when people ask if the doek is my thing. I get surprised because the doek has been our thing as women in the ANC. It’s part of our regalia.
“On the day we went to protest I was wearing a doek but the protest became bigger and was extended over days and my hair was a mess. I had no time to be fixing hair. The doek just made sense because I could tie it and go. “At some point one did gain strength from the doek. It was almost like Superman’s cape. When you put the doek on you feel a certain way.”
Mkhatshwa calls herself a sneakers girl, loves all African wear and suits, and is not into weaves. She looks up to a long list of struggle heroes, like Martin Luther King jr, Thomas Sankara, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and Ghanaian Queen Mother Yaa Asantewaa. Mkhatshwa, who graduates next March and is to do an honours degree, says she is not as outgoing as she seems in public.
“I am an introvert, although many people won’t believe it. I call myself an extroverted introvert. I do so much on the outside, but when I do get my time to be alone I am really alone. I am quite a shy person, contrary to popular belief.”
Mkhatshwa leaves for Canada with SRC treasurer-general Karabo Marutha, to speak on the #FeesMustFAll push at an event organised by the Continuing Education Students’ Association of Ryerson. The pair are to use the opportunity to raise money for the #access fund.
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Mkhatshwa was born at the Florence Nightingale hospital in Hillbrow, Joburg, to Ntombenhle Mahlangu Skweyiya who was young and single. Her biological father and mother did not marry.
Her mother is married and has two other children, Nanzi, 8, and Sthembiso, 14. The age gap between her and her siblings led her to take up a leadership roles from a young age.
“So I had to take on responsibility from a young age. I have always led from primary school to high school,” she explained. “With Nanzi, I feel like she is the next comrade. She has taken interest in the whole revolution thing, the songs... and she asks a lot of questions when she sees me on TV,” said Mkhatshwa.
“I learned to be responsible from a very young age. My mom was a single mom for a long time. It’s tough for a young black single mom. We took taxis for a long time.
“She sacrificed a lot to get me into the best schools. We used to hustle together, so I had to be responsible. I couldn’t make it any tougher than it was for her.”
Besides Nanzi and Sthembiso, Mkhatshwa also has two other half-sisters from her biological dad’s side. One is at the University of Cape Town and another in London whom she says she has never met but tracked down on Facebook.
“We are a very close-knit family, regardless of our bloodline. The most important thing is that we as the children must not be caught up in the big people’s squabbles. We must just love one another,” she explained.
Even with her plate full the tough-looking revolutionary says she would love to get married and have children.
“I love kids. I do want to have a baby soon. So I need to find a husband. If you have a plan, you can be married, do the toyi toyis, travel the world, run the revolution, start a media company and still have a cute little person. I say why not? Let’s see if we can make it happen.”
This past Valentine’s day, Mkhatshwa confessed she was depressed and spent the day in bed and maybe shed a tear or two.
”For some odd reason this year, Valentine’s Day I was like, I’ll be 23 this year in August and love is still not showing up. My life cannot only be about #Access, student accommodation and tuition fees,” joked Mkhatshwa.
”During the protest Shaeera Kalla and I would dash off to wipe our faces and throw on some make-up!”
Sunday Independent